Guardian of Light
by mountaingirl47
Summary: Ikuto takes a human girl back to his castle to entertain him while he searches for his lost lover. What the Angel of Darkness doesn't realize is that the Guardian of Light may be closer than he thinks. AMUTO!
1. Chapter 1

Morg: Heyo! Enjoy this one guys!

Ikuto: Is it M?

Amu: Didn't you look at the listing?

Morg: I don't think he'd be asking if he had.

Ikuto: Morg's a smart girl. So?

Amu: Despite my arguments, it is.

Morg: Would you rather I write it a different way?

Ikuto: No!

Amu: That'd be nice but I know you won't change it. Good thing you don't own us.

**~Guardian of Light~**

In the beginning, the world was created out of nothing. Out of the nothing came the powers of light and dark. To control these powers and bring order to the world, two were chosen. The Guardian of Light to watch over the day and the creatures that thrived by the light. The Angel of Darkness to watch over those that thrived during the night.

Their balance was complete. Day gave into night and night surrendered to day. The two became lovers, taking none other but each other. Their rule was absolute since it would take one to destroy the other.

The Guardian of Light was much loved by all she protected. The Angel of Darkness harbored fear in his creatures' hearts. Greed overtook him. He did not want to rule the day but he wanted to covet her. Out of his greed, the Angel of Darkness betrayed his lover and attempted to take her for solely his own.

The Knight of Light was created to try and restore the balance that was harshly overthrown. Due to his efforts, the Guardian was able to escape from the Angel. Being apart was not enough, however, without being together the two would age and reincarnate until they were once again reunited.

Until that day comes, the Angel of Darkness continues his rule over the world, leaving only pain and fear in his wake as he searches for his missing lover.

XXX

"It is my responsibility to watch over her. I will take the child into my care. No one shall know that she is different."

The older of the two smiled knowingly at the younger. "I will help you. We'll have to hide her powers and differences. You'll need my help."

The young man assigned to his queen smiled at his uncle. "Your help is greatly appreciated. We have much to protect her from."

XXX

"Amu-chan, you know that Tadase-kun does not like it when you wander outside without him."

The young girl lifted her big honey golden eyes to one of the men that had raised her. The sun was just setting and for some unknown reason, she felt a pang in her heart every time the night took over the day. "I'm sorry, Tsukasa-san. I like watching the sunset by myself."

The older man knew, he knew why she was awake the moment the sun rose and why she felt sadness when it set. Amu, however, could never know. "Come inside when you are done. Make sure you don't stray too far. I'll talk to Tadase-kun."

Amu nodded her thanks before turning back to the increasingly darkening sky. She did miss the sun when it went down for the day, but that wasn't the real reason that Amu now stood outside their small cottage on her own. If Tadase or Tsukasa were out there with her then _she_ wouldn't show up. With Tsukasa now heading inside, Amu knew that she'd get to see _her._

The trees shifted a little as the wind was disturbed. Amu loved it. She loved every second of her hair whipping around her face and the trees rustling their disapproval of the creature's entrance. Giggles filled the air as the giant beast landed once more upon the earth and tucked its massive wings to its sides. "Amu-chan."

"Rima! I'm so glad that you were able to make it today!"

The giant serpent slithered its head so that one giant eye was staring at the girl before it. "I enjoy visiting you, Amu-chan. Of course I'd come."

The young girl flushed excitedly upon hearing that a dragon enjoyed seeing her. Not many people could attest to that. "How was your day?"

One giant wing stretched out as Rima settled further down upon the earth. "Spent it soaring above the clouds and soaking in the sun's light. Today was a beautiful day to be out."

Sinking to sit on the ground with her legs crossed, Amu rested her chin on the palm of her hand with her elbow on her bent knee. "Is there anything bad about being able to fly?"

The dragon was silent for a moment before she turned to look back down at the girl she was visiting. "From the air, the destruction that the Angel of Darkness has caused is more visible. I see all the towns that were destroyed during the night and the fields that were burned. Graves, I see many graves."

That admission left the young girl to sit in her thoughts for a few moments. The world that she lived in was no mystery to her. Amu had heard, since she was a little girl, all about the wrath of the dark angel. Should anyone attempt to hinder his search in finding his lost lover, they would be put to death. The worst part of the story, at least to Amu, was the fact that rumors said that the only reason the Angel of Darkness wanted to find the girl he lost was so he could kill her. She didn't believe they could've been real lovers if he wanted to kill her now. "Rima, have you ever seen him?"

The dragon did not need the small human beside her to explain who she meant. "Yes, once. A long time ago when he called upon the creatures that roamed during the day to help in his search. Though, we will never truly serve him. We're to be looking for a girl with pink hair."

"Amu-chan! Amu-chan! It's dark out now! You need to come in!"

Hearing Tadase calling for her only meant that Amu had a few moments before she needed to be inside or else he'd come out and get her. Tadase had met Rima in the past, though the two didn't get along well with each other. They did, however, respect each other. "I wish I could stay out here with you longer, Rima. I enjoy your visits as well! Come again soon!"

Waiting until the girl entered the safety of her own home, Rima spread her wings and took flight. She was a creature of the light. Rima knew what she knew. Nothing could fool her.

XXX

The darkness crept over the room, bringing to life its occupants. The woman stretched her body out, feeling her bones snap into place. Tonight she would do as her master wished. She'd bring the Guardian to him and the search would end. The Dame of Dark was created after the fall of her master to bring a tiny semblance of order back to the world. She carried out his orders to find his lover without sparing mercy.

In the next room, her master was waiting for her. "Lulu, I suggest that you hurry up and get in here."

Angering her master meant things worse than death. Things that could even scare her. "Yes master."

Sitting on his dark throne was the angel himself. Not many got an audience with the man that now ruled over both the dark and the light with the same iron fist. _She'd_ been a lot more understanding and just whereas he simply told people what to do and punished those that didn't listen. "A dragon was spotted. Find it. Dragons are creatures that know more than they should. Bring it back here, unharmed."

Bowing her blonde head, Lulu obeyed the orders and left immediately taking Iru and Kairi with her to assist in the capturing.

Ikuto, the Angel of Darkness, sat back on his throne. Soon, soon he would have _her_ back at his side to do whatever he pleased with. The replacements that he'd been bringing down to his castle never lasted long. Mere humans couldn't handle the amount of power that flowed through the air around him. At first they would get dizzy before their bodies would begin to deform. In the end, they'd change into some hideous monster with no sense of self left. Ikuto hated to be the one to kill them, but there was no longer a point to them if he couldn't use them. Their only purpose was to serve him with their bodies.

His latest snack had begun her transformations two days prior. Ikuto had only just killed her before meeting with Lulu. There wasn't a point in letting things get too bad. She'd cried when he'd told her that he no longer needed her, but Ikuto was immune to tears or sadness. Those emotions could not affect him from within or from out. He'd never felt sadness, just anger.

Realizing that life could get dull rather quickly without some kind of pet to distract him, Ikuto heaved himself up. At first he'd sent out one of his servants to bring the maidens back, but that quickly changed when they wouldn't bring what he wanted. Though, even Ikuto felt a little disappointed with every girl that he brought back to his castle. They weren't _her_ so they'd never be right.

"Nagi, I'm going out."

The dark elf lifted his face to acknowledge what his master had said. "Sir."

Smirking, Ikuto made his way through the castle. Being the Angel of Darkness and it being night on the world at the moment, he could easily teleport or something along those lines, but walking seemed like a good way to kill some time. He did have plenty of it. The previous angels had left books and notes and other important information that he'd spent part of his eighteen years of life going through. They all said the same thing; he'd live a very long life but not forever without _her_. They should be reincarnating at the same time, making them the same age, but it was unknown to be a fact since they couldn't find_ her_. Ikuto wasn't about to be like them though. He was going to find _her_ and make _her_ his. Until then, he'd just have to do with a replacement.

The cool air of the night wafted by him as he ghosted through the sky on dark wings. Flying was always a joy. The control he had over himself while in flight was unmatched by any other creature alive or dead.

The sound of wings, other than his own, met Ikuto's ears as he glided through the night. A burst of flames shot across the night sky. So Lulu had already met the dragon. Ikuto turned away from the battle. His second in command could handle herself and her prey. He needed to carry out his personal mission.

A roar filled the silent air along with the sounds of shattering wood. The fight had ended with them crashing into a small house alone on a hilltop. Ikuto paused in his flight when he heard the sound of a young girl screaming. The sound of her scream was just right to be the age that he was looking for anyways. Might as well save himself some time by checking to see if she was good enough for what he wanted. They never lasted more than a few weeks anyways.

Two men came into view. They both stood tall and proud with their blond hair gleaming whenever fire spurted across the sky. Between them was a younger girl. She looked to be about fifteen, but Ikuto wasn't certain. A girl that young was certain to be just what he was looking for. Experienced women had never held much for him. He liked them young and innocent.

The light gleamed off her wide eyes as she watched the creatures battle over their once standing home. Her own hair shone in the darkness but in a different way from the two beside her. Ikuto watched for a moment longer to see if she gripped one more than the other. If the girl was already in love with a man then the chances of her being pure were slim. This girl, however, held both hands tightly in her own without choosing one over the other. Ikuto smirked as he glided closer.

Before he could scoop her off her feet and wretch her free from the two holding her, the young girl turned her eyes to him. "Please! Please make them stop hurting Rima!"

Taken aback, Ikuto turned from staring into her eyes to the dragon fighting against Lulu, Kairi and Iru. "Lulu."

All movement ceased from his subordinates. They waited, frozen in the air for what their master had to say.

Ikuto smirked at their total loyalty. The dragon hung in the air, unsure of what was happening with her own battle but feeling the fear growing in her heart. The Angel of Darkness was there. One large eye shifted to where the young girl she'd been visiting stood with her protectors. Rima knew that even if her life was forfeit, she had to protect that girl. "What do you want with me, Angel of Darkness?"

A gasp was heard from the three on the ground. One moved to stand before the girl, but the other placed a hand on his shoulder while murmuring words to calm the younger man.

Ikuto ignored the humans to take in the large yellow dragon. "My business here tonight is not with you."

Rima lowered her massive body to the earth. She planted her feet firmly and curled her long tail around the three humans. "If you have come for the girl then you shall be disappointed. This may just be a human, but she is also my friend. I will not allow for you to take her and do unto what you have done to others."

Anger was always his quickest emotion. Ikuto felt it burn through him now. How dare a mere dragon try to fight with his orders? "To see you try and stop me will give me great pleasure, Creature of the Light."

Amu gasped again as Rima shot a line of fire towards the angel hovering above the ground. This man, this angel was _the_ Angel of Darkness. The one she'd heard so much about. He was a man that was supposed to put more than just fear into people's hearts. Though the young girl didn't understand, he was here not for Rima but for her? What could he want with her?

Tsukasa's hand on his nephew did not move throughout all of what was happening. Luckily the dragon had enough sense to watch what she was saying and who she was saying it to. "Tadase, we must get Amu-chan out of here."

Nodding his head, the younger man pulled his shoulder free of the grasp and touched the side of the dragon. His thoughts were instantly transmitted to the creature's brain. _You know who she is and why we must protect her now. Give us the chance we need to escape._

Whether the dragon heard or not was not shown on the outside. She did, however, lift her wings to shield the fact that Tadase was now pulling Amu and Tsukasa onto her back. "I will not try!"

Throwing her body into the air caused her passengers to jerk. Tsukasa sat just behind his young charge, holding onto her carefully so that she wouldn't fall as the dragon picked up speed. "It will be alright, Amu-chan. Just don't let go."

Seeing as the dragon was attempting to not only escape but also steel away the girl he had his eyes on, Ikuto smirked. The sun was gone. What the dragon hoped to accomplish without it was beyond him. The night was strictly his domain. "Iru, retrieve the girl."

Rima beat her wings as fast and as hard as she could. Her long body as stretched to its limit as she pushed herself to go harder than she knew she could at night. If the sun was up, she'd have already been long gone. 'They are pursuing us. I don't know how much longer I can keep us out of their reach!"

Tadase heard the dragon's words above the sound of the wind. He'd known that flying with the dragon would be risky, but they didn't have another option. Turning around where he sat, he faced the young girl behind him. "Amu-chan, if you want to be free you must do something for me. Wish with all of your heart that you'll make it out of this alive. Call out with your mind for anyone to help us."

Amu sat there and stared at the man she trusted before her. Never before had Tadase asked her to do something as he was now. Not knowing what her thoughts could possibly do to help them, Amu complied. _Please, if anyone is there. Help us now._

With a puff of smoke, Iru appeared on the dragon's back. Rima felt her land and tried to shake her off without being able to do so. Tadase had no idea until the young demon had her arm around his throat. With a flick of her shoulder, she tossed him off the dragon.

Amu screamed. Tadase had always been there for her and now he was falling. "Rima! Catch him!"

The dragon could not disobey. Her body doubled back as the demon closed in on the young girl. Tsukasa kept his tight hold on Amu as he stared up at the young demon. "You won't be able to take her."

Iru smirked as she moved closer. One of her hands found its way onto Tsukasa's arm. A hot burning pain shot from her palm and up into his shoulder. "Let her go now and I'll let you keep your arm."

Tsukasa held firm while his eyes went blurry. The pain was almost too much for him to bear. Just before he let go, a puff of white smoke appeared and the demon was knocked off her feet. She fell, crying in anguish into the sky before puffing in a cloud of black smoke back to her master. "Angel, more creatures defend her than just the dragon."

Ikuto narrowed his eyes before he nodded towards Kairi. The young werewolf let out a howl, signaling to any other dark creature to come when their master called.

X

Tadase had resigned himself to using his powers when the dragon's claw wrapped around his falling body, halting his descent. "Rima?"

"She bade me catch you."

Tadase understood why Rima had not refused. It was impossible. "Get us out of here!"

Using her wings to push her harder, Rima continued her flight. "I'm trying!"

X

Amu clamped her hands down onto Tsukasa's arms. "What did she do to you?"

Feeling that her touch was already canceling out what the young demon had done to him, Tsukasa's breathing began to calm down once again. "Do not worry; I'll be just fine in a moment. Just hang on."

Amu did not like this one bit. Tadase had almost died and Tsukasa had been injured. She also knew that the dragon would not make it much further. "Tsukasa, what was that thing that saved us?"

Before the man could respond a loud howl filled the air. Amu remembered the creature that had been there trying to capture Rima. He'd looked like a dog but a human at the same time.

"Werewolf."

Sliding her eyes to the side, Amu noticed a girl she'd never seen before. "Who are you?"

"I came because you called. I am Eru, a cherub. I'll protect you."

The young angel like girl vanished in a puff of white smoke just as the same demon girl from before leapt onto the spot she'd been sitting in. "Iru will not fail her master twice!"

The puff of white reappeared as the two girls tumbled while wrestling off the dragon and into the night. Amu didn't want anything to happen to either of them as they fell, but there was little she could do to help the girls. Besides, they could both disappear and reappear. No sooner had she thought that then Eru was back to sitting beside her. "I will protect you, mist-"

The demon girl reappeared and snatched the cherub from the back of the dragon, disappearing into the night. Amu saw no more of either of them.

X

Rima was growing tired. She knew that their flight was going to be over soon, simply because she did not have the strength to keep going. A silvery figure caught her eye as it raced across the ground. The horn upon its head shone bright in the night. Rima knew that the unicorn could be trusted. Creatures of the Light could only obey one master and she was not the Angel of Darkness. "Tadase!"

"I see her! Bring us lower, Rima!"

As soon as he was close enough to the ground, Rima released the boy she held in her claw. Tadase leapt as he felt the tight grip on his body loosen so that he'd be able to control how he fell. Just before he hit the ground, he rolled into a ball and used his momentum to spring to his feet. "Unicorn! The mistress has need of you!"

The bright white animal turned in its gallop to circle back around to the man. "My mistress shall be served!"

Tadase nodded his approval. "You shall carry her to a safe location. Do not say anything to her since her identity is a secret even unto herself."

The unicorn tossed its head in acknowledgement before racing after the lowering dragon. Tadase sprinted right after her.

X

Amu knew that they were getting lower to the ground, she did not, however, know why. "Rima! Rima, are you okay?"

The large dragon would have laughed if she'd had the energy to do so. "I'm fine little human, just tired."

Glad to hear that her dragon friend was okay, Amu shifted her gaze to see an object approaching through the night sky. Before she could point it out, the creature seized her by her shirt and lifted her and Tsukasa off the dragon and into the air.

Tsukasa knew better than to let go of the girl he had his arms firmly around. "Pegasus, let go of us!"

The horse snorted through its nose as it continued to fly off into the night. Tadase watched from the ground for only a second before he leapt back onto the dragon and bid her to fly. "Rima!"

The exhausted dragon once again lifted into the air as she pursued her stolen passengers. "I won't be able to catch them."

"I can't transform unless I want to give her away. The Angel only thinks that we are protecting a human girl from him. If we reveal who she is…"

Rima didn't want to hear about that. Her vision was failing but she could feel the sun returning to the earth. The night was far from being over but if she could just hang on a little longer than she'd be able to save Amu and escape. Then her vision went black.

X

Tsukasa didn't know for how much longer he could hang on, but he knew he had to try. The flying horse had begun to shake his burden in an effort to lighten it, but the human man refused to let go of the girl.

Amu knew that if this held out for much longer then they'd both end up getting hurt. "Tsukasa, please just let go." _Someone save him._

Before Tsukasa had a chance to respond, a puff of white smoke made him disappear from Amu's sight.

Feeling that his load was now significantly lighter, the Pegasus turned his body around and shot back through the night air to where his master stood waiting. Amu was dropped at his feet.

Leaning down, Ikuto a handful of her blonde hair and pulled her to her feet. "Foolish creatures thought that they could win against me in the night. You are mine now until you go crazy and I kill you."

Amu swallowed hard. This angel was beautiful though his words were harsh. Even though she knew she should be frightened, no fear entered her mind.

.

Morg: That was a lot longer that I originally planned.

Ikuto: That fight scene was epic!

Amu: I only hope that everyone else was able to follow along.

Morg: Review if it was too confusing then!

Ikuto: I'm excited to see what I'm going to be doing with my little Amu!

Amu: Yeah, why is my hair blonde?

Morg: You'll just have to wait until the next chapter to find out!


	2. Chapter 2

Morg: Heyo! You have Kitty.0 to thank for the fast update of this story!

Ikuto: Thank you!

Amu: Yeah.

Morg: And to my ever faithful lover, Michelle! I love you lots!

Ikuto: That's wrong on so many levels.

Amu: Not that sort of love you pervert!

Morg: Yeah… uh… right.

Ikuto: She doesn't own anything.

Amu: Just the plot!

**~Guardian of Light~**

Leaning down, Ikuto took a handful of her blonde hair and pulled her to her feet. "Foolish creatures thought that they could win against me in the night. You are mine now until you go crazy and I kill you."

Amu swallowed hard. This angel was beautiful though his words were harsh. Even though she knew she should be frightened, no fear entered her mind. Before she could utter a word, the young girl was swept up into a pair of cold, strong arms. She shivered lightly at the feeling of them encasing her body before the air around her vanished. It took only a moment for the young girl to realize that the Angel of Darkness had teleported her somewhere else. "Where have you taken me?"

X

Tadase watched in horror as his charge was taken towards the Angel. Two options weighed heavily upon his mind. The young man could either transform or start a new kind of battle or he could allow for Amu to be taken and rescue her at a later time when he hoped the Angel was still clueless. "Stupid thieving angel!"

The dragon he'd been riding had collapsed and there was little he could do for the giant creature. She needed the sun and he couldn't make it raise any faster. Watching as Amu was picked up by the other man, Tadase had no choice left. She disappeared from his sight but not before he could put one last protective spell on her. The powers she contained would be sealed for a little while longer. The seal was special and connected to her hair color. The Guardian of Light was known for her pink hair. Amu's hair was blonde, but only because Tadase used his powers as the Knight of Light to make it so. As the color faded back into pink, her powers would once again resurface.

Tsukasa reached his nephew just as the young man let out an angry growl. He clamped his hand down on him before motioning to the waiting unicorn and cherub. "We have to get out of here and plan our next course of action."

Not wanting to leave yet, Tadase shook off the arm and faced the Dame of Darkness. She might not know who he was but he definitely knew here. "You, all you want is the dragon, correct?"

The blonde eyed the man before her as he stood proudly on the ground. He intrigued her but did little else. "Yes. We will be taking her."

Knowing that it was better for them to have someone there with Amu so that she could have some form of protection, Tadase made the second hard decision of the night. "Fine."

The unicorn jerked her head as the blonde man approached her. The fact that he'd just so easily given up on the dragon had her a bit concerned but the loss in his eyes told her that he was okay. "What are we to do now?"

Tadase knew that the Creatures of the Night couldn't hear what they were saying, yet he didn't feel comfortable talking about it with them so close by. "We're leaving for now. We're going to regroup and plan from there. Do you have a safe haven?"

Tossing her long silvery mane, the unicorn turned her body to allow the man to climb up onto her back. "I'll take you there. Eru knows the way."

The cherub nodded her head and turned to the older man. "Are you coming with us?"

Tsukasa knew better than to get left behind. Staying back now would only make him be left out of everything in the future. Being in the thick of things was where he wanted to be. "Yes, take me along."

Together, they disappeared into a puff of white smoke.

Tadase sent one last glance back as the large yellow dragon disappeared just before the sun began to break over the distant hills. Moments later, the sight their battle had taken place at was bathed in the beautiful glow of the morning sun, though not a creature was there to see it.

XXX

Amu knew that the sun was up. Even underground she knew that its rays were warming the earth above her. Not only could she sense it but she could feel it. Once she'd tried to explain to Tadase and Tsukasa the difference between her feelings when the sun was up and when it was set. They'd argued that there was no way she could just tell. Amu, however, felt that she had a connection to the sun. Even if the feeling was only deep within her own heart.

The thoughts of the sun were quickly pushed from her mind as she was dropped rather harshly against the cold floor of a large cavern. The place looked like an underground castle considering that there was a throne, which the man who had brought her there was now seating himself at. Amu picked herself up, unsure of what to do now that she was there.

Ikuto took in the sight of the blonde girl before him. A smirk ghosted its way across his face. Thinking back on it now, this one was already more interesting than any of the others combined. Her capture alone had taken up the entire night. The other girls had been in and out of his bed long before they'd managed to return. Although, none of them had an array of magical creatures protecting them, which brought Ikuto into his next line of thought. Why were they protecting her? "What makes you so special?"

"W-what?"

Sighing, Ikuto pushed himself off his throne and approached the girl. The others had always had that flicker of fear. He grew bored just thinking about it and only glanced into her eyes just to see it pass by, except it didn't. Those golden eyes captured his dark blue ones for longer than they should have. He stood there, staring into her eyes, unable to move until she blinked. "I'm sure you're exhausted. I'll show you to where you'll be sleeping."

Amu only nodded her head. Might as well find out where her room will be even if she wouldn't be able to sleep. Truth be told, she couldn't think of a time she'd ever actually slept. Lay quiet in a bed during the night so she wouldn't disturb the two men looking after her, sure but sleeping? Amu didn't think so. "Do I get my own room?"

Put off by how nonchalant the girl was asking, Ikuto decided to frighten her a little. Turning so quickly that she didn't have time to react, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close. Their chests met and a spark shot from one to the other. Eyes connected, they stood frozen while Ikuto held her close. Amu slowly let her eyelids drop; blinking so that Ikuto could be freed from her spell. He pulled her ever so closer without touching his lips to hers, he whispered, "Only when I don't want to share it with you."

The breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding slowly escaped from her mouth. His hands left her back so Amu could take a step back. That wasn't what she'd been expecting although it did make her heart race. Thinking that he was going to say something else, Amu waited patiently for the angel that was guiding her to do something.

Ikuto, on the other hand, was finding this girl more and more intriguing. Something about her just called to him to discover all her secrets. Something he decided he'd enjoy doing over the next couple of weeks he had until she went insane. He'd miss this one. Turning swiftly once more, he started off back in the direction he'd been heading to show her to her room.

They stopped in front of a door, which Ikuto didn't have to touch for it to open. He motioned for her to step inside so Amu did. The room was rather large and matched the rest of the castle that she'd seen. Much like it was carved out of rock in an underground lair. "Sleep now, I'll be calling for you later tonight."

Amu turned quick before the beautifully dark angel could disappear from her sights. "I can't. The sun is up."

Ikuto stood in the doorway for a moment more before one of his eyebrows rose high behind his bangs. "So?"

"So, I can't sleep. Do I have to stay in here or can I wander around and explore?"

His other eyebrow rose to join the first in their high standing positions. "You aren't afraid of the creatures that lurk down here in the dark?"

Amu took in his slightly shocked expression. "Should I be?"

"They could kill you."

The thought had passed her mind, but something told her that that wouldn't happen. "I doubt that. You wouldn't have brought me here only to be killed by a subordinate. I feel I'm fairly safe on my own."

Something was off about this girl. Something that told Ikuto she wasn't quite what she appeared to be. "You are human, correct?"

Amu let shock color her face before she nodded her head. "One hundred percent. Though I am an orphan."

Things about her didn't quite add up, but Ikuto found more reasons to be wrong than to be right. Her hair wasn't pink. She wasn't the same age as he was and there was no power emitting from her. Everything he'd read said that _she'd_ have those qualities and the young girl before him had none of them. Maybe she was just interesting. "What's your name?"

Pulling a strand of blonde hair back out of her face, she smiled and stuck out her hand. "Amu."

Ikuto stared at the hand before he decided he might as well take it. None of the other girls had acted that way, then again he'd never asked for their names. "As this reincarnation, my name is Ikuto. You will address me as Ikuto-sama."

Giggling, Amu let go of the hand she'd been holding and stepped further into her new room. "Sure Ikuto."

"Ikuto-_sama_."

"Hey Ikuto, they didn't hurt Rima did they?"

He felt the slight irritation build up but he brushed it aside. "The orders were for the dragon to be captured unharmed. If they were not followed then consequences will ensue. Failure is not an option."

So her yellow dragon friend was also being held somewhere underground. Now all Amu had to do was find her and see with her own two eyes that the large beast was alright. "I'm glad."

Ikuto had plenty of questions for the new girl he'd just captured, but seeing as he was the Angel of Darkness and had dark things to do, he really couldn't stay and chat. "Fine, you are free to wander as you wish. Though if you try to escape, a punishment worse than death awaits you."

Amu nodded her head before she turned away from him to hide her smile. Something about the dark angel told her that his bark was worse than his bite. Though he tried to hide it, he just seemed lonely. No wonder he was stealing girls from earth to keep him company. Amu could at least do that until she could figure out how to get back to Tsukasa and Tadase. Those two worrywarts had to be having panic attacks since she was now missing. "Thanks Ikuto."

"It's Ikuto-_sama_."

The blonde only smiled once more as she watched the angel leave in a huff.

.

Morg: Not as long as I was going for with this one, but I think it's a good second chapter so far.

Ikuto: Doesn't really matter what you think.

Amu: Yeah, let your readers decide.

Morg: Well, you heard them. Decide readers. Good or bad?


	3. Chapter 3

Morg: Heyo! First off! This story has tattoo/birthmark thingys that you can see on my deviant art! The link is on my profile!

Ikuto: What's the second thing?

Amu: I don't think we want to know.

Morg: There is no second thing.

Ikuto: Then why did you say first off?

Amu: Because she's an idiot.

Morg: I don't know if I should be more surprised that you caught that or because you actually were listening to what I was saying.

Ikuto: Forget it.

Amu: Thank goodness she owns nothing!

**~Guardian of Light~**

Amu didn't understand why she found it so easy to locate Rima in the random tunnels and open rooms of the underground cavern she was forced into, but it was. The large dragon was in a particularly dark room that allotted a tiny amount of sunlight in. One single beam was all that entered the room. There was no other source of light. Yet, Amu could clearly see Rima and Rima could clearly see the blonde girl before her. Amu didn't question her ability to see in the dark, couldn't all humans do it?

"Rima, when are they going to let you go? Didn't you say that you need sunlight to fully heal?"

The large dragon felt incredibly better just by having Amu touching her. The Creature of the Light knew what Amu was even though Amu herself didn't know. And though she felt immensely better, the sun was the only thing that could directly make the dragon fly again. With just the tiny beam that entered the room, Rima could live. Move a little sure, but nothing more than a few tail swipes and lifting her head.

At the moment, Amu lay on the back of the dragon's neck, just relaxing as she daydreamed of blue skies and the sun. Absentmindedly her fingers ran over the skin on her hip that was slightly raised higher than the rest. Some sort of birthmark, Tadase said so. The markings were strange though. Not just a splotch or circle or something more natural. Though it used to be clearer and have color, now it was the same milky color of her skin. Sometimes it changed color so Amu didn't think about it much.

Her mind drifted to wonder about Tsukasa and Tadase. There was no doubt in her blonde head that they were worried about her. The underground castle might be dark and filled with creatures she'd never seen before and Ikuto was hauntingly beautiful, but Amu wasn't being mistreated. She sort of liked it there.

Rima let out a long sigh, one that lifted the girl on her back and lowered her back down as she giggled. "I do need the sunlight, little one. The single beam over there does enough to keep me alive but that is all. I doubt they will let me go, though. Ikuto-sama believes that I have information for him regarding the whereabouts of the Guardian of Light."

Amu pulled a lock of her hair between her fingers and twirled it around. "I've heard of the Guardian of Light before. Doesn't he like, own the sun or something?"

A short laugh left the large beast that the human laid on. "The Guardian is a girl. She doesn't own the sun, but she protects those that need it to survive. Like me and the unicorn and many others."

"So she should come rescue you now. How does she know if you are in trouble?"

Rima felt herself going into territory that she should not be in while having a conversation with the particular human with her. "Amu, the Guardian has disappeared."

"Disappeared? She's not doing a good job then if she's supposed to protect everyone."

Rima let out a dragon size sigh before gathering her thoughts. "She didn't run away or anything. The Angel of Darkness, Ikuto-sama, betrayed her. He took her for himself rather than ruling with her equally and threw the balance of the world off. That is why Creatures of the Light are so hard to find and Creatures of the Night are everywhere."

Amu sat up to stare at the little bit of light coming in the room. She felt the need, suddenly, to be underneath it and feel the sun's rays upon her skin. So she moved to it and settled herself beneath it. "Ikuto did that? But then wouldn't everyone know where she was?"

"She escaped Ikuto with the help of the Knight of Light. He was created to bring balance back, though the Angel of Darkness was still upset and she was forced to go into hiding. That was before my time though; I wasn't around to see the betrayal. I only heard stories."

Amu let out a sigh of her own as she sat in silence with her thoughts for a few moments. "You say it happened so long ago but Ikuto isn't that old. He's hardly a few years older than I am."

Rima gave a dragon like chuckle. "That is true, but the Angel of Darkness and the Guardian of Light have been reincarnated many times over."

"Then it wasn't Ikuto."

The dragon didn't know what to say to that. Before she had the chance to even begin organizing her thoughts though, the Angel himself appeared before them. "Amu, come with me."

XXX

The unicorn stood panting in the middle of a dense forest. The cherub poofed beside her with Tsukasa in tow while Tadase jumped down from the noble beast's back. "This place is safe?"

The unicorn tossed its mane. "Yaya has used magic here to protect us while we gather."

Tadase nodded his head in response to what Ran told him. "We must gather whoever we can find. I let them take Rima so that she would have someone with her in that dungeon. I managed to cast one last spell before the Angel took her so that her powers would remain hidden for a while longer. We have time to plan, but we must hurry. That Angel must not learn that he already has the Guardian as his prisoner."

Eru giggled once before bowing to her commander. "I will go at once and bring others. We will gather before the week is out."

Tadase only nodded before the cherub disappeared into her puff of white smoke. Tsukasa jokingly coughed and swatted his hand as if the innocent smoke could actually hurt him. "That was an interesting way to travel. How are your legs doing, my boy?"

Part of Tadase felt annoyed at his uncle's behavior but the rest of him was grateful for it. Tsukasa was letting him know, in his own special way, that everything was going to be alright. They would get Amu back and they would do so without panicking. "The sun is up, Uncle. I feel no pain."

"Ah, that's right. I forgot that your crazy invincible during the daylight. Silly me."

Tadase couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Thanks for coming, Tsukasa."

"Well someone has to be around to save you. I can't seem to trust other people to do it right so here I am, getting my old bones involved in yet another rescue mission."

"You aren't that old. The Creator stopped you from aging when you took up the task to protect."

"Rubbing it in my face, are you? I told you that I'm old, I didn't say my body was."

The unicorn only snorted in laughter while Tadase scowled at his uncle. "I regret my decision to ask for your help."

Tsukasa only ruffled his nephew's hair. "I'm sure you don't, but by the time this is through I'll make sure that you do."

XXX

With no other choice, Amu followed Ikuto out of Rima's chamber and through the hallways. She had no idea what to expect and Ikuto hadn't said anything since he'd pulled her out from Rima's presence.

Ikuto had meant to pull her along with him and be harsh to the girl since he was angry. They hadn't managed to learn anything new about the Guardian or her protectors even with the dragon as their prisoner. He had been angry, until he entered that room and his heart had stopped. Amu had been sitting under the single beam of sunlight that reached that room. The beam was tiny, yet it cascaded around her as if bathing her in its glory. She had looked absolutely breathtaking.

Everything he was going to say, or yell, had instantly vanished from his mind. All his worries, all his anger was just gone. Never before had that ever happened. For a single moment he'd frozen while he just stared at her. Then he found words to speak; only they sounded much kinder than the original ones he was going to scream at her.

Now with her calmly following him through the halls, Ikuto couldn't seem to go through with his plan of tossing her onto her bed and having his way with her. She was completely appealing to him in that aspect just like the other human girls had been, but that one second of seeing her in that light had made him rethink what he was going to do with her. For just a moment he thought of protecting her rather than slowly killing her.

"Ikuto, why are you holding Rima here?"

The Angel of Darkness halted in his footsteps. Never before had anyone ever questioned what he did. "That is not your business."

Amu balled her fists before moving to stand in front of the stationary being. "It is too my business! She was captured while trying to protect me because she was my friend! It is my fault that she was brought here and I know that she can't heal without more sunlight! That little beam isn't enough! I suggest you hurry up and let her go!"

The fact that she looked angry surprised Ikuto. The stomping thing she did with her foot while she talked only made her look cuter. "That isn't why she's here."

Amu gasped a little as Ikuto moved closer to her. All too soon she was pinned against the wall with his breath fanning out across her lips and cheeks. "Then why is she here?"

If this girl were any other then she'd be unable to speak. At least that was what Ikuto's previous trials with humans had taught him. This girl must have lived under a rock. Man could he pick them. "She's here because I want to know what she knows about the Guardian of Light. Dragons are old beings that have knowledge. They don't forget anything they've learned. I do believe she knows something and I must know what she knows."

Amu pushed her way out of his arms and took a few steps away. "Why? Why do you care about the Guardian of Light? Rima told me that a previous Angel of Darkness was too greedy and ruined the balance of light and dark. But why do you search for her?"

Ikuto let out a long sigh. That was something he had often wondered on his own. Why did she matter so much to him? "Because she is my other half. I fell empty without her presence beside me. That is the way it is supposed to be. I feel the need to possess her and make sure that she sees only me. I want to be the only one in her eyes."

Amu could see that Ikuto knew what he was saying without actually knowing what he was saying. "That is what I don't understand. How could you feel that way about someone without actually meeting them and knowing who they are? What makes you think that when you find the Guardian of Light, she'll still want to be your other half? Didn't you betray her? Shouldn't you be trying to make amends? Maybe that way she'll come back on her own."

A dark, rich laugh filled the empty hallway. "You are a simple human. What would you know about the Guardian? The only reason that you are here is so that you can take her place as my lover until I do find her. Or until you go crazy. Either one works for me."

Amu shuddered at that but paid little attention to her reaction to his words. They didn't make her scared or worried and that somehow made her worried. "Just another reason for her to not want to come back to you."

Ikuto had had enough. He didn't want to hear anything else from the girl before him. Without another word he turned and left her there in the hall.

.

Morg: I hope you liked it!

Ikuto: Not as good as it could have been.

Amu: Lots of information.

Morg: Important information.

Ikuto: We'll let the readers decide that.

Amu: So review!


	4. Chapter 4

Morg: Heyo! I'm sorry for taking forever to update this one. Besides! It is my **birthday**! So be nice!

Ikuto: Isn't that what you've been saying at the beginning of every story you've updated recently?

Amu: That's because she's lame and doesn't write as much anymore.

Morg: Not my fault. I just got a new job.

Ikuto: Excuses!

Amu: What excuse do you have for not owning us?

Morg: No monies…

Ikuto: Too bad for you.

Amu: I'd rather keep it this way.

**~Guardian of Light~**

"You will tell me what I want to know!"

The giant dragon refused to react to the Angel of Death's threats. She wasn't going to give the young boy the answers he wanted. "I know nothing."

Ikuto smirked as he cut off the flow of the light once again. Rima was once again plunged into darkness. There was no physical pain being done to her body, however, she was feeling weaker and weaker without the light. Her energy was draining along with her resistance towards his questioning. "You know something. I want to know it too, so why don't you share."

Rima couldn't even lift her head. There wasn't even enough energy in her body lift her head. Soon she was going to die. "I know… nothing."

Amu knew something was wrong. She could feel it. Her mind just kept screaming for her to get to Rima. Something was wrong with Rima.

Sliding around the corner, Amu continued her run through the dark halls. Within minutes she was panted as she came to a quick stop inside Rima's too dark room. "What is going on here? Ikuto! Stop it now! Can't you see that she is about to die?"

Instantly Rima began to feel better just because Amu was in the room. She refused to show any sort of strength. Doing so would only lead to Ikuto figuring out that she was the Guardian. The moment Amu touched her, strength flowed through her body. "A-Amu."

Ikuto scowled as he allowed the light to flood the room. No more than before, but enough for Rima to lift her head again. "Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?"

"I don't care who you are or what you control! You are not evil and you don't need to do evil things! If Rima doesn't want to tell you something then you need to try asking in a different way."

Ikuto watched as the blonde girl panted before him. She must have sprinted through his castle to reach them. But how could she have known what was happening? Shrugging the thought off, Ikuto frowned even more so. "Why do you care about her so much?"

Amu lined up with the Angel of Darkness toe to toe. "Because Rima is my friend! And you! You say that you are so evil but I see nothing so bad about you! Why are you trying so hard to be like the others before you?"

Ikuto scowled more so. No human had ever dared to stand up to him before and here she was almost yelling at him. "What is wrong with you? I am evil. I am darkness."

Amu sighed as she laid one of her hands on Ikuto's cheeks. "The darkness is not evil. Darkness can be beautiful; you just have to see it."

Ikuto was left stunned as Amu turned from him and began rubbing Rima's nose. Who was this girl and why was she so different? All the others would be dead already. "Fine. I'll let Rima alone for now. Nagihiko!"

A man that wasn't a man entered the room within a few seconds. "Master."

"You are the blacksmith, dark elf. You will put Rima to good use until she decides to tell me what she knows. And trust me, Amu. I know she knows something."

Amu only stuck her tongue out at Ikuto before turning to Rima. "Is that okay with you?"

Rima nodded her large head without taking her eyes off the dark elf. "It will have to be."

Amu narrowed her eyes as she turned to the elf. "Nagihiko isn't it? You will be nice to Rima or you will deal with me."

Without really knowing how to respond, Nagihiko looked towards his master. Ikuto gave a slight nod before Nagihiko looked back at Amu and gave a small smile, revealing sharp teeth. "Please, call me Nagi. I promise to work well with Rima."

"If I hear one complaint from my dragon then you'll be sorry."

Nagihiko continued to smile and despite having odd teeth, he looked rather handsome with his dark purplish skin. His long purple hair was beautiful as well. Amu wanted to become friends with the elf, but that wasn't to happen at the moment.

Giving one last look to Rima, Amu stormed back out of the room. For a reason that she didn't understand, Amu felt as though she needed to get away from Ikuto for a little bit. The urge in her made no sense. It was almost as if she heard Tadase's voice telling her that she needed to be alone for a little while.

Ikuto watched her leave but was rather confused by her actions. She left just as quickly as she stormed in. All of her actions confused him to no end. Amu really was different. The others would have already been crazy and deformed and yet she still pressed on as if she was completely normal. Things weren't adding up, but she couldn't have been more than a normal human. It had to be the dragon. That dragon had to be using the little energy she had to protect the young girl. They were friends, it made sense. The dragon was making sure that Amu stayed normal rather than saving energy to escape.

Nodding to himself, Ikuto left the room himself, leaving Rima and Nagihiko to become better acquainted.

Nagi looked up at the large dragon before him. "You may call me Nagi as well."

Rima lowered her large head to stare straight into the dark elf's eyes. "We might have to work together by decree of your master, but we will not get along. What do I have to do?"

Keeping his smile in place as to make it seem as if her words didn't affect him, Nagihiko motioned towards the huge doorway. "You will come with me every day to work the fires in the ovens for me. You will be given more sunlight to make sure that you can perform your tasks. If you attempt to do anything other than what I instruct, the Angel of Darkness will punish you."

Turning her head, Rima refused to look at the elf. "I will do what I must to protect myself. I have nothing to tell the Angel."

Nagi only smiled before waving over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow then!"

XXX

Amu's chest was still heaving as she returned to the room Ikuto gave her. She knew that Ikuto had treated the other girls he'd taken worse than he treated her. That's why she knew that Ikuto wasn't bad. He wasn't evil. Amu knew it. Why couldn't he see it?

Lying on her bed, Amu stared up at the ceiling with her arm draped across her forehead. These were things she shouldn't be worried about. The Angel of Darkness had nothing to do with her and once he let her go Amu would be free to live her life with Tadase and Tsukasa once more.

A knock sounded at her door so Amu got up to answer it. "Yes?"

Ikuto stood outside her door. He did not look angry but something told Amu that he wasn't happy either. "I need to speak with you. Come with me."

Since it wasn't a question, Amu had no choice but to follow the Angel as he started down the hall without waiting for any sort of answer. Ten minutes later he led her into a rather large room. The walls were lined with shelves full of books and several tables were covered with books that looked as if they were being read.

"What is this place?"

Ikuto turned back only slightly to glance at Amu as she looked around the room with interest. "This is where the previous Angels have left their notes and any information about the Guardian for the following Angels to read. I will do the same if I am not the one to find her."

Amu nodded her head as she began to walk around the room, looking at all the books. "Do you know what will happen if you do find her?"

Ikuto sat down at the large desk on the other side of the room and watched the blonde walk around. "The reincarnations will stop. I will live forever with the Guardian unless she is stolen from me again."

Amu nodded her head as she stared at a few more books. They didn't really tell her much since none of them had titles. Pulling one from the shelf, Amu began to read. That's when she realized that they weren't actual books. They were journals from the previous Angels. "Have you read all of these?"

"Yes. I keep my own as well."

Nodding her head, Amu understood. The reincarnated Angels were not born with the knowledge of the ones before them. That's why they kept the journals. Amu wondered if the Guardian did something like that as well. Thinking back, it was sort of like how Tadase and Tsukasa told her stories. Only they passed the information on verbally rather than written like Ikuto received it. "Am I in them?"

Ikuto was taken aback for only a moment by the question. "You are in my life so you must be put in my journals."

Amu blushed a little upon learning that. Ikuto wrote about her. The thoughts she had earlier about not being anything important to the Angel of Darkness or him not being important to her were slowly losing ground. Ikuto would never be able to forget now that she was written down in his set of journals and any Angels that followed him would know of her as well. The thought made Amu slightly nervous. What if they didn't like her? What if Ikuto wrote bad things about her? "Good things I hope."

Ikuto only smirked at the girl before him. "You'll never know."

Amu returned a weak smile and placed the journal back on the shelf. "So what did you need to talk to me about?"

Ikuto sighed before clasping his hands before him and resting his elbows on his desk while his chin lay on his interlocked fingers. "I think it is time to tell you a little more about myself and what I know about the Guardian since you seem to want to know as well."

Amu gulped but nodded. That sensation she had earlier to get away from Ikuto was strong again.

.

Morg: A rather short chapter, but this is where I wanted to stop it!

Ikuto: Whatever.

Amu: Just because it is your birthday…

Morg: Deal with it! Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

Morg: Heyo! I'm going for it!

Ikuto: Going for what?

Amu: This is like her fourth update of the day.

Morg: I want to update everything! I'm trying!

Ikuto: Oh, I see.

Amu: Good thing you don't own us!

Morg: Why is that?

Ikuto: Because Amu would be exhausted considering all the M stories you write.

Amu: Pervert!

**~Guardian of Light~**

Trying to resist the urge to run, Amu focused her attention back on Ikuto. The feeling cursing through her body made no sense to the blonde. There was no reason for her to run like a bat from hell, especially when Ikuto was finally opening up to her. She had to stay. "S-so what do you know about her?"

For a moment, Ikuto wondered why Amu sounded a little strained. However, as he stared into her waiting eyes, the Angel brushed it off and sat down at his desk. "She controls the creatures of the light just as I control the creatures of the night. We both have complete control over our own creatures. All except the humans, this gives us equal power."

Amu listened. She really did. Despite the feeling that she needed to plug two fingers into her ears and hum loudly, Amu actually controlled herself and listened to Ikuto's words. She just didn't completely agree with what he was saying. "Wait, the Guardian of Light _controls_ the creatures of light? Wouldn't a guardian, you know, guard?"

"Being a human, I expected you to not understand. But no, we control the creatures. They were created for us to tell them what to do."

Not believing that for a second, Amu decided it would just be better to stay quiet and listen to what Ikuto had to say so that she could escape sooner rather than later. Her heart was starting to beat faster with the need to get away. Why did she feel like she shouldn't be near Ikuto like she was? "Oh."

Nodding once the blonde fell silent to listen to what he had to say, Ikuto continued with giving Amu more information. "I don't know much else about the Guardian. None of my predecessors have been able to discover more since the Knight of Light came into being and stole her from us. Once I find her, he will be the first to face my wrath. Though the good thing about him is the fact that everything must have a balance. His creation also gave me the Dame of Darkness. She is my most loyal servant."

Amu thought back to the night she was taken. That was the only time she'd ever seen the Dame that Ikuto was speaking about. Actually, that was the only time she'd seen any of Ikuto's other creatures, besides Nagihiko that is. She'd definitely seen some other creatures as she was wandering around, but none of them actually stopped and introduced themselves to her. I guess they didn't see point since Amu was human and they weren't.

"Being human you should know that the world fears me. I have complete control, especially with the Guardian missing. The world fears me and I wouldn't have it any other way. Of course, I am more powerful at night, just as the Guardian is more powerful during the daytime."

Not being able to take the pain that was radiating through her body any longer, Amu moved across the room. "I'm not entirely sure why you want to live like that. Doesn't that mean that you don't have any friends?"

Ikuto watched as the blonde moved towards the door to his study. Was she ignoring everything else he was saying? "I don't need friends. I only need the Guardian and once I find her she will be mine."

Nodding once, Amu opened the door. "I guess that might work. I mean, I consider you to be my friend even though you are holding me against my will here. There is the possibility that she won't mind either."

Ikuto was left rather in shock by that statement as Amu left the room. His mind was too focused on convincing him that the Guardian wouldn't really have choice in the matter.

Amu finally felt as if she could breathe as she moved down the hall of the Angel of Darkness' underground castle. The feeling of having to get away from Ikuto was slowly dying away with every step she took. Unknowingly, Amu's steps took her to Nagihiko's workshop where Rima was currently keeping the fires hot for him. "Rima!"

The large dragon stopped her flame for a moment to turn and look at the blonde. Her large dragon eyes widened slightly when she noticed that the girl before her wasn't as blonde as she'd been before. "Amu."

"So this is what you do for Nagihiko?"

The purplish elf stepped out from behind a rather large anvil holding some tools and hot metal in his hands. "Oh, hello Amu. I was wondering why Rima stopped."

Turning towards the man, Amu gave a slight smile. "Is it okay for Rima to take a break?"

With a semi confused smile, Nagihiko nodded to the human girl. "Fine by me. The fires will be fine for a few moments."

Amu's smile brightened a little at that as she turned back to her dragon friend.

Rima narrowed her gaze as she took in the slightly shaken looking girl. "Amu, what happened? You look frazzled. Did Ikuto _do_ anything to you?'

"What?"

Rima sighed, a rather large sigh considering she was a dragon, before moving her head closer to Amu's. "Did Ikuto _touch_ you anywhere you don't want to be touched?"

Taking a step back, partly in shock, Amu gasped. "No way! Ikuto wouldn't do that to me! He and I are friends! I haven't completely figured out why he's brought me here, but that isn't the reason why."

Something crashed where Nagi was working. He hadn't meant to be listening into the conversation, but Amu had said it so loudly. Ikuto, the Angel of Darkness, brought a human girl to his castle that he wasn't taking advantage of? Something was off. However, Nagihiko decided it was in his best interest to mind his own business.

Still unsure, Rima sniffed the girl before her. 'If you're sure?"

"Jeez Rima! I'm telling you that Ikuto hasn't done more than pull me along by my wrist the entire time I've been here."

"Okay then, Amu."

Little did the two girls and the working elf know, a fourth person was listening to the conversation. He, however, found amusement in the information he'd just learned and couldn't wait to tease his master about it.

XXX

Sitting on his throne and thinking about the conversation he'd had earlier in the day with the girl he was holding captive; Ikuto had his chin in the palm of his hand. Amu's reactions had been a little different than the girls he'd had there before. Then again, Amu had a dragon protecting her.

Granted, he also had never talked to the other girls in the same way he talked to Amu.

"What are you doing, master?"

Letting his eyes slide from the blank area they were staring into to land on the Black Panther slinking into the room, Ikuto let out a sigh. "Thinking, Yoru."

"Looks like hard work. Rather you than me, nya."

Rolling his eyes, Ikuto ignored the way the panther just slinked himself down onto the ground before his throne. "What do you want, Yoru."

"Nothing much, Ikuto-nya. Just wondering why you've left the new human untouched."

Feeling his muscles freeze up just a little, Ikuto played off his discomfort with nonchalance. "None of what I do is your business, Yoru."

Slinking his tail across the floor, Yoru hid the fact that he rolled his eyes from his master. "Blame it on my cat side, nya. I'm just curious as to why you haven't done anything to her. Been awhile since I've heard screams filling the halls."

Ikuto remained silent after that last comment from the large cat. He had nothing to say to argue against the statement since it was true. Ikuto hadn't had release in a while. Though Amu was his current human captive, something was holding him back from just taking her like he had the others. There had definitely been times when he'd wanted to kiss her. Like that time he found her sitting in the sunlight, but the urge had been nothing more than the want to place soft kisses on her lips.

Frowning more than he had before the dark cat had slinked his way into Ikuto's presence, the Angel of Darkness refused to look at his underling even though Yoru wasn't looking at him anyways. Thinking about it now, Ikuto still didn't have the urge to touch Amu in the way he used the other humans. Since it wasn't there, Ikuto wasn't going to force it. That left one option. "Amu isn't here for that. But since you insist on it being too quiet around here, I'll just go get a different human."

Yoru was silent as he watched his master spread his dark wings and disappear to the higher world. "Sure master, that isn't why you brought Amu here."

Ikuto never heard the comment though, since he had already returned to Earth in search for his new toy. The villagers that were unlucky enough to be awake still when he arrived ran in fright. One girl, a rather plain looking human with brown hair, froze in her spot next to a wooden house. She didn't exactly look appetizing to Ikuto, but he wasn't going to be picky at the moment. The point was just to get a girl and satisfy the need he had. "You shall come with me."

Tears streamed down the girls face though she did nothing to refuse him. They rarely did. Ikuto knew it was because they were too afraid to do anything else, a fact that didn't bother him one bit. Unlike how he brought Amu back, Ikuto didn't touch the girl. Rather, he just snapped his fingers and transported her along with him.

XXX

Strolling through the hallway on her way back to her room with nothing else to do, Amu was rather surprised when she heard the sound of another girl crying not far away. Before she could think through her actions, Amu's feet were carrying her in the direction the sound was coming from.

Rounding a corner, Amu watched as Ikuto looked at the crying girl before him. "Ikuto? What's going on?"

Turning to the sound of Amu's voice, Ikuto frowned. He hadn't wanted Amu to know what he was doing. Though he never cared before and he had no idea why he was worried about it now. "I went to Earth and got her."

Amu turned her golden eyes from Ikuto to take in the crying human girl. "Oh, well don't worry sweetie! Ikuto is really nice! Come with me. I'm sure you'll calm down in no time! We can be friends!"

Groaning, Ikuto watched as Amu walked away with the girl he'd brought back to rape. This wasn't going as he'd planned considering the girl he was going to use was disappearing with the girl he just couldn't touch, and there was nothing he could say to stop the blonde from taking the other human.

.

Morg: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Ikuto: I would enjoy it more.

Amu: No you wouldn't.

Morg: Oh, is it time for makeup sex already?

Ikuto: Is it ever not time for that?

Amu: No, it isn't.

Morg: Whatever you say, Amu. I'm looking forward to seeing what my reviewers say!


	6. Chapter 6

Morg: Heyo!

Ikuto: This is rather quick.

Amu: I'm actually agreeing with Ikuto. Why the quick update?

Morg: Some people seemed to be a little confused so I'm here to set the record straight.

Ikuto: So you are a bad writer.

Amu: Another reason I'm glad she doesn't own us.

Morg: No! I just-

Ikuto: Save it.

**~Guardian of Light~**

Amu ignored the fact that she was rather bored and continued to congratulate herself on her recent victory. The blonde girl wasn't stupid. There was only one reason for Ikuto to bring back a human girl and Amu had rather put a damper in that plan. Now the girl was sleeping in Amu's room instead of Ikuto's.

The brown haired girl shifted quickly before sitting up while gasping. "Wh-where am I?"

Amu sat up as well with a large smile on her face. "You're in the Angel of Darkness' castle. Do you remember now, Alice?"

Before the girl had fallen asleep, Amu had brought her to her room and let the girl cry. She'd been too frightened to do it before so Amu just let her bawl. Afterwards the girl had stuttered that her name was Alice. Amu introduced herself as well before coaxing the girl to sleep.

Alice looked around the dark room before letting her eyes land on Amu. This place wasn't as scary with the blonde around. "I-I remember."

"I also told you not to worry about a thing! Ikuto only brought you here to play with me for a while before he sends you back to your home!"

The girl nodded her head before hugging her knees. "Wh-what are w-we supposed to do?"

Giggling lightly, Amu shrugged. "It is still night time so if you want to sleep more than you can. If not, I can give you a tour and show you around. There will be some scary looking creatures, but they won't hurt you. Plus, I'll be there to protect you."

Tensing up, Alice hugged her knees tighter. "What are you?"

"Me?" Amu couldn't help but laugh at how worried Alice looked. "Don't worry, I'm human too! Ikuto brought me here a couple of months ago. I know! We should go visit Rima!"

"R-Rima?"

"Yep! She's a dragon. Ikuto captured her the same night he brought me here. She's really nice."

"A d-dragon!?"

"Alice, do you stutter all the time or are you just nervous?"

Smiling despite her blush, Alice mumbled into her knees. "I c-can't help-p it."

"So it's a speech impediment?"

"I've al-always st-st-stuttered."

Amu smiled as she patted the frightened girl on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Alice. I'm sure that you'll be able to speak normally someday. You have such a beautiful voice."

The brown haired girl blushed again as she allowed the blonde to pull her off the bed and towards the door. "Th-thanks."

Without saying a word, Amu nodded and began the process of tugging Alice down the hall towards where Rima stayed.

Halfway down the hallway, a black panther and a tall blonde with pigtails emerged from a room while talking. They both paused as they saw Amu coming towards them with the other human girl. "Hello, Amu."

Having met the panther briefly before, Amu nodded to Yoru. "Yoru. Have you met Alice? Alice this big cat is Yoru. I'm sorry; I don't know your name."

"Utau."

Alice gave an extremely weak smile to the two creatures before hiding behind Amu.

Amu only smiled brighter before nodding to the two before her. "Right, well, we are going to see Rima. Nice to have met you, Utau."

The taller blonde just scoffed before walking off.

Amu looked to Yoru to see the panther rolling his eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, that's just how vampires are. See you later, Amu. Alice."

The blonde waved to Yoru before continuing on down the hall.

Alice couldn't believe that Amu had taken that meeting so well. Utau and Yoru had scared her more than she already was, and the blonde pulling on her hand hardly seemed disturbed that she'd just met a vampire. Not to mention the talking panther.

All thoughts were pushed from the young human's mind as she entered a room with an extremely large yellow dragon in it. "Th-th-this?"

Amu nodded before letting go of Alice to hug Rima. "Rima! How was working with Nagi today?"

The large dragon yawned before looking down at the girl she was protecting. "Fine. Who's your friend?"

Turning with a large grin on her face, Amu took Alice's hand and brought her forward so Rima could sniff her. "This is Alice! Ikuto just brought her down here."

Knowing what that meant, Rima turned to look at the blonde girl. "Amu…"

"Don't worry, Rima! Alice is here to be my friend."

The dragon could tell that Amu was forcing the friend part. She also knew that Amu was doing what Amu was supposed to do. She was guarding a life. Keeping Alice out of harm in the only way she knew how. Befriending the poor human. "So how long will Alice be staying with us."

The brown haired girl shrugged as she attempted to take in the fact that there was a dragon before her. Being kidnapped to the Angel of Darkness' castle and meeting all sorts of creatures was rather hard to take in, though Amu seemed to be doing alright. "I d-don't kn-know."

Amu only patted the human girl on the back in a form of comfort before turning back to Rima. "I'm sure Ikuto will send her back within a week or two. Don't want anything to happen to my new friend Alice!"

Rima could see it, the worry in her master's face. The girl hadn't quite figured out how to get the Angel to return the human to her village, but Rima knew that if anyone could do it, Amu could. "Most likely. So what are you and your new friend Alice going to do?"

Before Amu could answer, Alice's stomach rumbled. "I guess that answers the question. Come on, Alice. Let's go get you something to eat."

Once again, the human girl found herself being pulled down a hallway in the underground castle. She had no idea where they were going, but Amu moved as if she knew the place by heart. The sight of a man with long purple hair and somewhat purple skin coming towards them made Alice pull a little on the hand tugging her along.

Amu looked back but only smiled before turning around to greet the man coming towards them. "Hello, Nagi. This is Alice. I might bring her by later to show her how you and Rima work together. Would that be okay?"

Nagihiko eyed the human girl before biting back a smile. No wonder Ikuto had seemed to be in a lousy mood. "Sure thing, Amu."

The blonde just waved goodbye as she continued to move down the hallway with Alice in tow. Soon enough they were entering a door that Alice thought looked rather foreboding. Amu barely glanced at it as she led the way inside. "This is where we'll come when you're hungry, Alice. I was told that Kairi is a great cook."

Alice thought the comment weird but ignored it upon the sight of food. There looked to be a buffet of all sorts of different things. Some of it looked rather inedible, but Alice reminded herself that there were more than just humans eating there.

Taking a plate, Amu picked out some foods for Alice to eat that she knew the human girl would like. Amu didn't eat often, but when she did asked for what she was giving Alice. "Try these."

"S-so wh-what is K-K-Kairi?'

"A werewolf."

Alice looked at the plate before her as if decided whether or not to actually eat the food on it. "Wh-whoa."

Amu laughed before nudging Alice to take a bite. "Don't worry, I haven't actually eaten anything that Kairi has made before, but I heard that it's good."

It wasn't as if she was receiving special treatment, but the couple of times that she had eaten, Ikuto had gotten the food for her. Watching carefully, Amu only grinned as Alice took one bite and then another.

Once her plate was clean, Alice pushed away from the table they sat at to rub her now full tummy. "S-so g-good."

Giggling, Amu nodded her head. "I told you it would be!"

The door opened again before Alice could reply. The two girls looked over to see a half man, half goat walk into the room. He took a plate and filled it with some vegetable looking plants.

Amu watched in fascination. She'd heard of satyr before but had never seen one. "Hello."

Alice wanted to hide as the creature looked over at them.

Without stopping his movements, the beast nodded towards the two girls. "Amu, Alice."

"I don't think we've met. What's your name?"

"Kiseki."

"That's a nice name! So can you tell me, did you know my name because Ikuto told you or is it because you're a satyr?"

The satyr sat down a table before scoffing. "Because I'm a satyr. Obviously we're better informed than other creatures."

Smiling, Amu nodded before taking Alice's plate from the table and putting it in a tub at the side of the room. "Enjoy your meal, Kiseki!"

Dumbfounded, Alice was pulled from the room and dragged down the hall. Everything in this castle was crazy.

XXX

Ikuto sighed as he looked at the pleading blonde before him. "Why do I care if she goes insane?"

"Well, didn't you bring her here to be my friend?"

Pausing at that question, Ikuto didn't want to lie, but something told him that telling the truth at this moment in time wasn't a good idea. "Sure. So don't you want your friend to stay longer?"

"I don't want my friend to get all deformed and go crazy and then have you kill her! Take her back before that happens please!"

Rubbing his temple, Ikuto tried to find a plausible argument against Amu's request. He'd been hoping that he'd find a time to snatch the human girl away and use her has he'd intended to, but the blonde was rather fixed to the human girl named Alice. That and Ikuto just didn't feel the urge. There wasn't much of a need for the outlet before. The humans were used for purely sex and pleasure. At the moment, Ikuto didn't actually want to touch the girl. "Fine. She should be alright for another week or so before any changes begin to occur."

"So take her back in one week."

Frowning, Ikuto stared at the blonde on the other side of his large desk. "Have you forgotten that you're just merely human too? You should already be crazy three times over and yet you're fine. Must be that dragon. Anyways, stop demanding things. I won't always give you what you want. I'm still the Angel of Darkness."

Smiling, Amu leaned across the desk and planted kiss on Ikuto's cheek. "Thanks Ikuto!"

With his hand on the spot she'd kissed, Ikuto watched Amu practically skip out of the room. He doubted that anything he'd just said to her in his stern voice had even reached her brain. Shrugging it off, Ikuto went back to working on his journal. Rima still wasn't willing to give him the information he desired.

XXX

Amu had heard rumors from Yoru, not that she trusted that cat much, that there was a Pegasus somewhere in the castle. The winged horse was supposed to be as black as night and just as scary. Amu sort of doubted the scary part. It had seemed like Yoru was trying to frighten her.

Alice wasn't so sure about seeking out the Pegasus, but Amu had insisted that it would be fun and tugged her along for the ride. Not that Alice could ever do much to disagree with Amu. The blonde was just too good at getting what she wanted.

The two girls entered the room that Yoru had instructed that they go to. They found it empty.

"Well this isn't what I expected."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from above their heads. "What do you want?"

Amu looked up and instantly took in the platform towards the top of the room. A dark colored face of a horse looked down over the edge at them. "You must be Daichi. I'm Amu and this is Alice. Yoru said that you would be here and I've never seen a Pegasus before."

The sound of hooves and feathers met their ears before Daichi landed on the floor beside them. "You've seen one now. What do you want?"

Amu couldn't help herself. She let go of Alice to move forwards and touch Daichi's face. "You are so beautiful."

"You do realize that I'm a Creature of the Dark, right? You should be terrified."

Shrugging her shoulders with a smile on her face, Amu continued to stroke Daichi's soft nose. "Do you mind if I touch one of your wings?"

The Pegasus, rather enjoying the attention, shifted to the side so that Amu could see his giant wings. "Be my guest."

Alice was too frightened to move as Amu stroked the glossy feathers. The blonde girl was absolutely fearless. Maybe that was why she was there. Amu must have challenged the Angel of Darkness in some way and was now being punished. Though that didn't explain why the Angel would bring Alice down to play with Amu if Amu was in trouble.

"Come on, Alice. Daichi is really nice!"

Shaking her head, Alice refused to move forwards.

Amu sighed before patting Daichi's side. "Forgive Alice. She's nervous still since she hasn't been here very long. Do you think you could give me a ride sometime?"

Amused by the bold girl, Daichi neighed. "Sure thing, Amu. You'll have to okay it by Ikuto first though."

Waving her hand, Amu laughed. "I'm sure he won't mind but I'll ask first anyways. Thanks for letting us meet you, Daichi."

The Pegasus wasn't used to such politeness, especially while being in the castle. This is why when Amu left while waving and smiling with a nervous Alice in tow, Daichi could only stare at the door for a few moments, trying to understand what had just happened to him. In the end, he just shrugged off the visit and returned to his hay in his loft.

.

Morg: There. The girl isn't Yaya. And Amu isn't stupid.

Ikuto: No one cares.

Amu: Not cool, Ikuto.

Morg: Anyways! I told you it would be long, Michelle. I'm sorry for the crappiness of it though. Just way to introduce some other characters.

Ikuto: Characters that don't matter.

Amu: Why are you being so harsh?

Morg: He wants Amuto time.

Ikuto: You bet I do!

Amu: Oh jeez.

Morg: The next chapter will be sort of the same thing though we'll be introducing some of the Light creatures instead! Please look forward to it!


	7. Chapter 7

Morg: Heyo! So I'm trying out this new thing where I don't wait a month between updates.

Ikuto: Isn't that nice?

Amu: Great.

Morg: Please let me know if you enjoy it or not.

Ikuto: She might wait two if you say you don't.

Amu: Could you imagine the procrastination that would happen if she actually owned us?

Morg: Hey now! Things would be a lot more fun if I actually owned the two of you!

**~Guardian of Light~**

Standing in the middle of the clearing in the woods, Tadase let his eyes wander around the creatures gathered. Their meeting was held at noon. Better to have the sun directly overhead when having a meeting about the Angel of Darkness. This way no eavesdroppers could drop their eaves.

Tsukasa moved next to his nephew's side. He knew that the Knight of Light was impatient to begin. "We're almost ready, Tadase. Do you know what you are going to say?"

Scoffing, Tadase moved to stand on a small mound of earth. This gave him the advantage over the others present. All of the creatures turned to him as he called their attention. "Creatures of Light gathered, hear me now!" Tadase waited until the clearing was completely silent. "The Guardian of Light whom I have been protecting all this time has fallen into the hands of the Angel of Darkness once more."

Whispers instantly broke out though Tadase did not let them last long. "Listen! He does not know who she is. The Angel believes that the Guardian is a simple human due to the spell I have placed on her. Not even the Guardian knows that she is the Guardian. Still, she is not safe in the castle. The spell will wear off, leaving the Guardian exposed and in the middle of the enemy's lair! We must rescue her!"

A fairy lifted her small form from the ground in order for the Knight of Light to see her properly. "Yaya will go to save Guardian-chi! Yaya will help Tadase-kun!"

Others called out in agreement to what the fairy had said. If the Guardian was in trouble then the Creatures of Light would do anything to protect her.

Tadase raised his hand to bring silence to the glen once more. "When the Angel took her he also took a dragon. Rima is doing all that she can at the moment to keep the Guardian safe without giving away who she is and why it is important to protect her. We must move soon."

Rising a few feet above those standing around him, a centaur nodded his head in agreement with their leader. "I am willing to go straight into the castle if it means getting her back."

Tadase nodded to the centaur he knew as Kukai. The other was definitely one he was glad to have on their side. "We strike during the day when those creatures are at their weakest! We will get her back!"

Seeing as how the creatures hidden in the trees were getting riled up before any plans had been made, Tsukasa stepped forwards. "I will fight."

The woods stilled as Tsukasa spoke. There was something in what he was saying that made everyone listen.

Seeing that the creatures surrounding him were waiting for him to continue, Tsukasa took a shaky breath before doing so. "I am human. Given the gift of a longer life so that I might protect the Guardian until she can rise again, I am still human. I belong on neither side, but I will fight. Love and beauty have vanished from this world since the Angel took it under his control. His power is terrifying and I am afraid, but I will fight. Until my last breath I will fight."

Cheers broke out. Hearing Tadase, the Knight of Light, speak to them in such a way was uplifting. Hearing a mere human show so much conviction and love for their Guardian was beyond words.

Tsukasa did not want the creatures to get out of hand. That was not the point of his speech. "Listen now. I will fight, will you? Will you fight? Will you bring the Guardian of Light back to this world so that she may have a chance? I do not ask you to go now. That would be foolish. All chances of such a rescue would be lost if we blindly blundered into the castle. Even if the creatures were weak because of the sun in the sky, they are still in their castle. The Angel is near. He will know that we are coming. We must strike when he is not there."

Slinking her way to the front, Miki, a pristine white tiger, drew the attention of those speaking and listening alike. "So what would you have us do? It would be impossible for any of us to spy. As you said, the Angel would know we were coming."

Shaking his head, Tsukasa knew that this would be the tricky part of their meeting. Tadase could lead them, yes. The boy would do anything for his mistress. Keeping his head cool and thinking everything through while he knew Amu is in trouble. That was something Tadase was not good at. He wanted to be her savior. Tsukasa wouldn't allow for him to mess this chance up. "We will watch, we will scheme and we will wait until the perfect moment to strike. She has time. With the spell protecting her and Rima there, the Guardian will not fall prey to the Angel. After all, she is the Guardian."

A few others in the crowd agreed as Tadase once again took control of their meeting. "Tsukasa is right. We will plan and once we are certain, we will strike. The Guardian will once again rule what is rightfully hers."

More cheering broke out as the different creatures began talking to each other about what they could do to help. Tadase only smiled before he led some of the ones he knew better than others away for a private discussion.

XXX

Ikuto couldn't believe that he was actually doing this. Telling the girl that he'd send the other human back to earth before he'd gotten to spend even one second alone with her was different from actually doing it. He much preferred to just let the girl remain and rot like he had the others. He almost said so too. Until he saw Amu's pleading eyes and protective manner over the human. If it had been anyone else, Ikuto would have laughed in their face and then probably start them on fire. But not Amu. He just couldn't say no.

The moment he let the sigh out of his mouth, Amu jumped into his arms to hug him. She hadn't been entirely certain that Ikuto would keep his word. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Standing uncertainly in the back of the room, Alice watched the silent conversation happen without an ounce of knowing what it was actually about.

Never having the chance to embrace the girl hugging him back, Ikuto stood dumbfounded as Amu practically skipped across the room to hug Alice. His mind wasn't quite working right.

Beaming, Amu hugged Alice close to her before whispering in her ear. "I want you to remember me when you go back. I had so much fun with you, Alice. You are a great friend. No more stuttering."

Warmth filled her body and it was all Alice could do to hold back her tears. Knowing that she had to leave lest she start to go crazy, the young girl did not want to. Amu had protected her and shown her that the dark wasn't so scary.

Crossing the room, Ikuto figured he should probably get this part of the night over with. He had other things to do. Maybe another human girl to grab while he was on earth. Of course, this time he wouldn't let Amu get a hold of her before he could get what he wanted from her. "Time to go."

Amu gave Alice one last hug before watching Ikuto take her hand. They disappeared right before Amu's eyes.

XXX

Leaving the human on the steps of the home that he'd taken her from, Ikuto frowned at her. "You are lucky. Had Amu not befriended you I would have done terrible things to you and let you die. You owe her your life."

Nodding her head, Alice trembled. She knew. The girl was no fool. Amu had saved her and she was eternally grateful.

Ikuto left without wasting a second.

Bracing herself, Alice turned to her front door. What could she tell her family about her absence? Would it be better if she just ran? The thought of Amu's smile flinted across her mind. No, she could do this. This was her family. They would always love her.

Pushing the door open, Alice went home. "Momma? Papa? I'm home."

Two people rose from where they sat. Both looked weary and frantic. The long nights they'd been searching for their daughter had worn them down. "Alice?"

Nodding her head, Alice ran into her mother's embrace. She felt her father hugging the two of them. Together they cried. "I've come home."

"How did you?"

"I don't understand it myself, momma. She protected me and he let me come back home."

"Alice! Your stutter!"

A hand flew to her throat as Alice realized that she could speak now without messing up her words. Tears flew down her cheeks once more as she realized what Amu had really done for her. "It must have been Amu."

When Alice removed her hand, her parents saw the mark left there. One that had not been seen in ages. The mark of the Guardian. Their daughter was very blessed indeed.

XXX

Amu felt tired. Ever since Alice had left to go home, she just felt exhausted. Her feet dragged horribly as she made her way down one of the stone passages. The constant attention she'd forced onto the human girl had finally taken its toll.

Lifting her large head once she felt Amu enter the room, Rima frowned in a way that only dragons could. "You wore yourself out."

It was not a question so Amu did not dispute it. "Alice was taken home."

"Then you did well."

Nodding her tired head, Amu slumped against the side of the dragon's belly. "I convinced him to take her home before any defects began. I know why he brings them here, but I can't stand it. I was brought for the same reason and yet he has only shown me kindness. Why did he bring another?"

Not knowing entirely what to say, Rima remained silent.

Amu's question, however, was answered by another. "Ikuto doesn't know what to think of you, Amu. You are, in many ways, an enigma. You baffle him. You are human and yet being here does not affect you in the same way it has affected the others. You stood up to his highness rather than cowering before him. Ikuto simply doesn't know what to do. None of his predecessors had to deal with a human like you."

A small smile played on the blonde's lips as she looked over to where the dark elf stood. Nagihiko had just entered the room. Amu couldn't help but like the man. "You think that's the reason?"

"I know that's the reason. The Angel and I are not close by any means but that does not mean that he can hide the changes he's going through from those of us who have been with him for so long."

Yawning once last time, Amu felt some strength returning to her. The sun was rising. Morning had come and a new day was starting.

.

Morg: I was totally going to make that longer but that was such a good place to end it!

Ikuto: So I completely didn't notice Amu using her powers?

Amu: Guess not.

Morg: Well, that would just ruin everything if you figured it out too soon!

Ikuto: So you are writing me like I'm stupid?

Amu: Not far from the truth if you ask me.

Morg: No one did! And no, Ikuto. You were simply distracted by the hug and didn't notice the small exchange of power.

Ikuto: Whatever.

Amu: Doesn't really matter anyways.

Morg: What does matter is that it is Mirene's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Ikuto: What does this have to do with anything?

Amu: Oh be nice. Mirene is a friend.

Morg: Yep! So have a good day! And to the rest of you! REVIEW!


	8. Chapter 8

Morg: Heyo! So I wasn't expecting to be able to write for a few days, but suddenly I had some time on my hands. So be thankful!

Ikuto: I'm not entirely sure that people should be glad for this.

Amu: This wasn't really the best way to gain free time.

Morg: Eh, I'll take what I can get!

Ikuto: Whatever.

Amu: Thank goodness she doesn't own us! That could be dangerous.

Morg: Just know that I'm okay, everything else is my business. Please enjoy the chapter!

**~Guardian of Light~**

Humming to herself as she walked down the hall, Amu smiled at the creatures she passed. Some returned the gesture and others ignored her completely. None of it really mattered to the girl. Ikuto was back and she wanted to see him before the Angel managed to go off and be busy again. "Hey Ikuto."

Looking up from his desk, Ikuto wondered for only a second as to how Amu knew he was there. His stop in his office was only going to be for a second or two before he headed to gather some of his minions to raid an area that was said to have a high number of Creatures of the Light in the area. Hopefully he would find something out about the Guardian. "What do you need, Amu?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Amu crossed the room to look at the papers Ikuto was shuffling around on his desk. One of them read 'Report' though Amu didn't have a chance to see what sort of report it was. "When are you going to let Rima go?"

Stopping what he was doing, Ikuto looked up at the girl before him. "After she tells me what I want to know I'll think about her release."

Appalled, Amu glared at the Angel before her. "What do you mean you'll think about it? Rima doesn't have anything to hide! If she could tell you something to help you find that stupid girl of yours then she would! No wonder the Guardian ran away! I would too! You are just so frustrating!"

Slightly amused by the outburst but at the same time pissed, Ikuto lifted an eyebrow and watched as the blonde huffed for air. "Obviously the dragon is stronger than I thought. She's protecting you from going crazy and becoming deformed. Once her energy is drained, she won't have a choice but to tell me what I want to know or else she'll die. Dragons are notorious for their self-preservation. One of the many reasons that she's even alive now."

Amu couldn't believe it. There was no way that Rima would sacrifice herself for the blonde. No way at all. Ikuto had to be wrong. "No! Rima isn't doing anything to me! I'm just not like the other girls! Maybe there's a different reason."

"There is none, Amu. There is no other option. Rima is protecting you and I'm using that to my advantage. Why else would I keep you here for so long?"

Tears threatened to overrun her golden eyes as Amu ran from the room. She did not blame the Guardian in that moment for leaving the idiot. If the Angels before Ikuto were anything like him then she'd have left them if she were the Guardian. Amu couldn't believe how mean he was. The part of her mind that was thinking clearly at the moment told her it was because he was the Angel of Darkness. Ikuto thought he had to be mean. He thought it came with the title, but Amu didn't think so. Evil and darkness did not go hand in hand. She definitely saw beauty in the dark of Ikuto's castle. So would others.

Bursting into Rima's room, Amu threw herself at the dragon. Hugging the huge nose, Amu sniffled. "Rima, you aren't protecting me, right? You aren't using up your energy to keep me from going crazy or becoming deformed, are you? Ikuto says that he's waiting for you to use too much and become weak so you'll tell him information about the Guardian or he'll let you die! Don't die, Rima."

Stunned, Rima crossed her large eyes as she looked at the little human on her nose. Ikuto had no idea what he was talking about, something Rima was incredibly grateful for. The Angel simply needed to remain in the dark about who was protecting who in Rima and Amu's relationship until Tadase, the Knight of Light, could rescue them both from this Hell. "Calm down, Amu. That isn't going to happen."

Nodding as she backed up, Amu ran her fingers through her blonde hair as she blinked back her unshed tears. "I don't know what I would do if you got hurt, Rima. Please don't let it be my fault."

Staring hard at the other, Rima realized what looked so different about the girl before her. It was Amu's hair. The girl had golden hair when Ikuto had first kidnapped her and now it was turning a light shade of white with just a hint of pink mixed in. Something that the creatures that see Amu every day or in poor lighting wouldn't notice. However, this was Rima and Amu was standing in the beam of sunlight. There was no mistaking the fact that Tadase's spell was fading. The Angel of Darkness' castle might not make her go crazy or become deformed like normal human girls, but it affected the spell on her. Especially since it wasn't casted by the Guardian or Angel themselves. "Amu, you should stay away from Ikuto for a while. It seems like he's trying to get you riled up. Don't worry about me. I'm not spending any extra energy outside of my helping Nagihiko. But do me a favor and stay out of trouble anyhow."

Nodding her head, Amu smiled up at the dragon before leaving the room to wander around some more. Something told her that she needed to be around when Ikuto returned.

XXX

Tadase looked at the creatures around him. Some were those he was quite familiar with due to the meetings they'd been having about rescuing Amu. Others were strangers. However, that didn't matter since they were all there for the same reason. "You have volunteered for spying on the Creatures of the Dark. This will be dangerous, you may be captured. If that happens, you cannot allow for the Angel to learn of the Guardian's whereabouts. You must be willing to sacrifice yourselves for her."

Several of the larger, more rare creatures nodded their heads in understanding. This was very risky of them, but the Guardian had to be saved.

Breaking up the tense atmosphere, Tsukasa invited himself into Tadase's meeting. "You know, I have a much simpler solution to this problem."

Not liking the way his uncle made him rethink his strategies, Tadase crossed his arms before nodding for the older male to continue.

"Send the owls."

"What?"

"Think about it. Owls are nocturnal so it would only be natural for them to be awake during the hours that the Creatures of the Dark are more active. Owls are very trustworthy creatures. Ask them to spy and they will."

Frowning, Tadase could not come up with a reason to refuse Tsukasa's suggestion. "Fine, then you find something for these brave creatures that volunteered to spy for us."

After Tadase was gone, Tsukasa turned to the others waiting with a smile. "I think it is safe to say that you'll all need to brush up on your fighting skills. Tadase expects a big fight when we make out move. Be prepared."

The creatures around Tsukasa, though barely disappointed that they didn't have to spy, left to go work on what he suggested. The man was right, they were going to have to fight their way in and definitely out once the Angel realized just who he had with him.

XXX

Angered by the fact that his information had been false, Ikuto watched as the house before him eroded into nothing leaving a terrified family standing amongst the charred earth, the only proof that a building had once stood there. The daughter, looking to be just younger than Amu, clutched to her mother as Ikuto smirked down at them. "She is coming with me."

The mother wailed as the father simply shook in front of the Angel of Darkness. There was nothing they could do to refuse him. If they tried, they would die. "Please."

Without waiting, Ikuto snapped his fingers to teleport the girl to his side. For Amu, he'd picked her up. With this girl, he left her crying while hanging in the air by nothing. With one last glance at the family, Ikuto made himself and the girl disappear. His anger needed to be taken out on someone and this girl just happened to be in the area.

Appearing in his castle, Ikuto turned to speak to the crying girl cowering on the floor in front of him. "Get u-"

"Ikuto! You brought me another friend!?"

Small arms wrapped around the Angel's neck as Amu lunged to hug Ikuto. She squeezed him tight with a quick whisper of thanks before she turned to the second girl he'd brought to his castle. "Hello! I'm Amu! Ikuto brought you down here to keep me company. What's your name?"

Trembling, the girl looked up from the floor to see the blonde girl smiling in front of her. "El-Ellie."

With her hand held out, Amu waited for the girl to pull herself up from the floor. "It is nice to meet you, Ellie! You and I are going to be great friends for the short amount of time that Ikuto lets you stay here to keep me company. I'm going to show you to our room! Let's go!"

Sending a smile back at Ikuto, Amu hoped that the Angel would not become suspicious of how she managed to take another girl from him. "Thanks again, Ikuto!"

With the still quivering girl following, Amu led the way to her bedroom. She hadn't spent much time there since Alice left, but now that Ellie was there, she knew she'd be spending time in the room again. "This is where we're going to sleep."

Still frightened, Ellie looked around the rather dark room. "Th-this is for us?"

Without letting her smile slip from its place, Amu nodded. "Yes, I'll show you where we're going to eat and some other places later. For now, I think you should get some sleep. You were probably very frightened since Ikuto has no manners at all."

Suddenly feeling the exhaustion of her kidnapping, Ellie nodded her head while yawning. "Thanks, Amu."

Amu waited until she was certain that the girl was asleep before she left her room. Not surprised at all, Amu found Ikuto in the hallway outside her door. "She just fell asleep."

"Amu, you cannot keep interfering with my business."

"But why else would you bring them here?"

Staring at the blonde, Ikuto couldn't bring himself to tell her the real reason. There was no way the girl was this dense; however, her eyes told him that she truly thought she was right. "As I said, quit interfering with my business."

Smiling once more since Ikuto had muttered his words the second time, Amu gave the Angel a quick hug. Unlike the other times she'd touched him, this time Ikuto's wings were still out. The black feathers were slick to the touch and Amu wanted to feel them more.

Ikuto, on the other hand, shuddered when Amu touched his wings and pulled back. Never had he let a human touch his wings that way. Then again, he never let humans hug him either. They were only good for one thing. Unable to do anything as the girl went back into her room, Ikuto frowned at the door. Why was this girl so different?

.

Morg: So I hope you liked it! I managed to get the owls in there like I promised!

Ikuto: Promised who?

Amu: Don't know, don't care.

Morg: Never you mind! She knows that I'm talking to her!

Ikuto: That's not fair to your other readers.

Amu: Shame on you!

Morg: Hey! If they want to review and leave comments or questions I will happily reply!


	9. Chapter 9

Morg: Heyo! So I was asked to update this for someone's birthday. I'm sorry it is a day late. I spent time with my grandmother yesterday rather than writing.

Ikuto: I'm sure they hate you now.

Amu: Don't say that! Readers will understand that you are a busy person.

Morg: Right.

Ikuto: Probably not.

Amu: Your attitude is horrible! I don't even want to imagine what it would be like if you did own us.

Morg: Rainbows and unicorns.

Ikuto: Smut, smut and more smut.

Amu: I don't know why I speak to either of you.

**~Guardian of Light~**

Amu should have known that this was a bad idea. The way Ellie had acted ever since she woke up should have been enough to tell the blonde that there was something different about the girl. For some reason, Ellie seemed to be unable to focus on anything. At first, Amu thought that she was just scared and nervous, but now the imprisoned human knew differently. Ellie wasn't doing it on purpose, but she was definitely acting strange.

"Can I eat that?"

Sighing, Amu knew that she needed patience. Getting mad at the girl wouldn't do either of them any good. "No, you can't. That isn't made for humans to eat. That's for Pegasus."

Ellie frowned as she looked back at the food on the buffet. "What makes it bad for me to eat?"

Halfway through her explanation, Amu was cut off once again by the other girl.

"Okay fine, what about this?"

Smiling though she was rather frustrated, Amu forced herself to remain calm as she explained something else she'd already talked about once to the other girl. "Ellie, you are just going to have to trust me when I tell which foods you can and cannot eat."

"But I-"

"No Ellie. If you eat something not made for a human it could make you very sick. Neither of us wants that. What would I tell your parents?"

The younger girl blushed slightly as she fell silent. With her head bent, she stared at her fingers as she played with the fabric of her shirt. "Will I see them again?"

"Yes."

Shocked at the fact that there was no hesitation in Amu's response, Ellie looked up at her. Tears were already pooling into her eyes though she attempted to blink them away. "Do you really mean that? What if they don't miss me? Momma always says that I don't pay enough attention. I make things difficult for her and Papa but my mind is just always moving. Maybe I don't deserve to go back."

Appalled that the girl before her would even think such a thing, Amu stopped the other's rambles by pulling her into a hug. "Ellie, your parents love you very much. They might not understand right now what is happening, but you'll be able to tell them everything when you go back. I already told you that Ikuto only brought you here to keep me company. Now, what shall we eat?"

Ellie knew that Amu was probably getting tired of her and her questions though the older girl said nothing to show it. She was thankful that the girl she was kidnapped to entertain wasn't angry with her. Ellie didn't know what she would do if Amu suddenly decided that she didn't want Ellie to be around anymore. Would the Angel kill her? Ellie didn't want to find out.

That being the case, she tried her hardest to focus on what she was supposed to be doing. The task at hand was picking out what she wanted to eat. As much as she wanted to focus on the question that Amu had asked, Ellie couldn't help but think other thoughts. Before she knew it, her mind was already forcing her to ask questions about things she didn't actually need to know.

Amu raised an eyebrow as the girl suddenly cut herself off midsentence by slapping her hand over her mouth and crying. "Ellie? What's wrong?"

Allowing for the other girl to hold her, Ellie took a firm hold on Amu's clothes as she cried. "Please don't be angry with me! I'm not very good at staying focused! Please don't tell the Angel to kill me! I'm so sorry."

Seeing as they wouldn't be eating any time soon, Amu decided to just lead the girl back to their shared room. With Ellie reacting the way she was, Amu knew that the inquisitive girl had had to of been bullied back at her home on the earth. There was no other way to ascribe the fear that the girl was displaying. "Ellie, you have to calm down. Please stop crying. Ikuto won't do anything to you. I won't let him."

Several minutes later, Ellie finally managed to calm down. "I'm sorry for crying. I was just so scared."

Amu smiled to show that it was okay and that the girl had done nothing wrong. "Now tell me what scared you so much."

Sighing, Ellie pulled her knees up to her chest as she sat on the bed near Amu. "I can't seem to focus well and it makes other people angry. I was just worried that you would get tired of me and tell the Angel to get rid of me."

Glad that that was the only reason the girl was freaking out, Amu could only giggle. "Oh Ellie! I would never do that to you! Besides, there must be something you like to focus on? Is there anything you like to do? We could do that for a while."

"I-I guess I like to…"

"To what?"

Blushing, Ellie reminded herself that she was in the Angel of Darkness's castle with Amu now. There was no need to be embarrassed. "I like to write stories. All the time my mind seems to be thinking of so many different things, but when I sit down to write out some of my thoughts, I end up writing for a long time. I really enjoy it."

Surprised, Amu grinned at the other girl. "So you like telling stories! Maybe someday you can write about how much fun we had here together. I'm sure your parents would love to hear about what you did in the Angel's castle."

Smiling now, Ellie couldn't help but agree. "Let's do lots of things so I have plenty to tell them about!"

XXX

The same bittersweet sadness filled her again. This time due to the fact that Ikuto had agreed to take Ellie home. Apparently, he was so easy to convince this time because the duo had gotten into a bit of trouble during the second humans stay. The some of the creatures pleaded with Ikuto for the girl to be sent back. She and Amu had had a lot of fun.

As she pulled Ellie into her hug, Amu kissed the side of the girl's head. "I hope that you manage to calm your mind and enjoy life with your family. Thank you for being with me."

Ellie cried as she hugged Amu back. As much as she was ready to go home, she didn't want to leave her friend. Amu was an amazing person. Whatever she'd done to be stuck in the Angel's castle, Ellie was certain it wasn't fair for Amu. "I'll miss you."

"Maybe we'll see each other again."

Ellie definitely hoped so.

Ikuto cleared his throat as he motioned for Ellie to step away from Amu. "I'll simply transport you back to where your parents currently are. From there, you are on your own."

Ellie bowed. As she lifted her head a new sight met her eyes. She was no longer deep underground but standing in the middle of an unfamiliar room. Her mother sat at the table to one side while her father stared out a window. "Momma? Papa?"

Two gasps were heard as the parents turned to find the daughter that was taken from them returned to their new home. "Ellie!"

Within the hold of her parents, Ellie cried. Partly because she was so happy to be home and partly because a little piece of her had never believed that she was going to make it home. Now she felt the slightest bit guilty for not believing Amu. "I'm home."

Her parents simply held her tighter as they cried with her. Her father was the first to pull back in order to look his daughter over. "What happened? How did you escape?"

Wiping her tears, Ellie shook her head. "I didn't escape. The Angel took me down to his castle so that I could keep another human girl who lives there company. Amu and I had a lot of fun while I was there. She told me to make sure and tell you all about it. It was her that convinced the Angel to send me home."

Having leaned back to look at her husband, Ellie's mother caught sight of the side of her daughter's head. Just on the girl's temple sat a design not seen in many ages. "Dear Creator!"

"What is it, Momma?"

"You have the mark of the Guardian on you."

Ellie was shocked until she remembered the words whispered to her and the place Amu had kissed her. Crying all over again for a different reason, Ellie hugged her parents tighter. Amu had been more than just another human and now Ellie understood why her mind felt so at peace. The problems she had before she would have no more. She'd been blessed.

XXX

Ikuto was more than angry. The last few reports that they had received had turned out to be completely false. His frustration grew the more he felt as if the Guardian was so close to him and yet so far away. His anger was what made him do what he did. From the moment he brought her there, Ikuto hadn't touched Amu. Sure, they had shared some hugs and he'd received a few kisses though those were always on the cheek and Amu was always the one to give them. This is why he felt guilty for the first time in his long life for what he did.

She hadn't been doing anything wrong. Nothing out of the ordinary anyhow when Ikuto had come across her while in his bad mood. Amu had been humming as she moved down the hallway towards where Rima was kept. It was mostly because of her carefree good mood that Ikuto had responded as he had. He simply wanted some of her joy. A reason of his own to feel happy, an emotion he hadn't felt in a long while.

Just as she was going to go past him and greet him as she did, Ikuto pulled Amu roughly to a stop before shoving her against the cold stone wall and trapping her there. Without a word he bent his head to hers and took her lips in a kiss. She had gasped, which is why Ikuto managed to snake his tongue into her mouth.

Moments later, Ikuto released the hold he had on the young human. The girl stood there panting with her chest heaving. The sight alone was enough of an invitation to continue although Ikuto simply turned and walked away without a word.

Amu, on the other hand, was astounded. Confused by Ikuto's actions and her response, she fled to talk with the only other creature in her prison that she trusted. Rima. "Rima!"

Once again having the Guardian of Light hugging her nose, Rima sighed. "What happened this time?"

"Ikuto kissed me!"

"What?"

Amu sighed before she explained what had just happened to her. "I know that sometimes I hug him and even though I don't always know why I want to do that, I've never thought about kissing him! Why did he kiss me!?"

Rima really wished she could answer the other. However, the large dragon knew why Amu would hug and touch Ikuto. She also knew why Ikuto had kissed Amu. The spell was wearing off. The Guardian and the Angel were made for each other. They belonged together and slowly the two would be drawn tighter and tighter until one of them realized what was happening. Hopefully it wouldn't take much longer for Tadase to make some sort of rescue attempt. "I don't know, little one. Maybe he doesn't either."

Amu frowned as she dropped into her favorite spot to sit. The light surrounded her as she sat beside her dragon friend. "Maybe I just need to stay away from him for a while. I know he doesn't like it when I managed to snatch the other human girls away."

Though Rima didn't reply, she thought that was a very good idea.

.

Morg: So more stuff is happening! Don't worry guys! The super exciting stuff is about to begin!

Ikuto: Yeah.

Amu: Sounds great!

Morg: Oh yes! And happy birthday to PrincessOfDarkness3! I'm sorry this is a day late, but here you go!~ I hope everyone enjoyed it!


	10. Chapter 10

Morg: Heyo! I just want to make something clear.

Ikuto: Here we go.

Amu: Just sit quietly.

Morg: Unless my story says 'complete' it isn't complete. I won't leave one unfinished.

Ikuto: Your readers aren't stupid.

Amu: You'd be surprised.

Morg: It might take me a while to update a story or two, but that doesn't mean I'll never update it. Sometimes I'm rethinking the plot and other times I'm just more focused on another story.

Ikuto: Excuses.

Amu: It's why she doesn't own us.

Morg: So please understand that I'll finish everything!

**~Guardian of Light~**

Begrudgingly, Tadase had to admit that Tsukasa's plan of using the owls to spy was a good one. The birds brought more intel than they'd been able to gather through any other means. Apparently the Angel of Darkness was taking humans down to his castle, but all of them were returned without injury. The knight couldn't figure it out until one of the owls spotted a mark on one of the girls that made Tadase's heart stop. Amu was using magic. Amu was in danger.

Being that they needed to act soon so that they could rescue Amu before Ikuto became aware, Tadase had been readying his troops. Creatures that had spent so long in hiding were suddenly sparing with each other and attempting to learn fighting techniques that some of them had never known and others had used in centuries.

Tadase, being the Knight of Light, monitored everyone's progress and gave pointers where he thought they were needed. The things he pointed out were mostly simple things. Like how the sphinx, Dia, could use not only her claws and her teeth but her foreboding manner to make whoever was attacking her to pause their movements so she would have the upper hand.

Without his nephew knowing, Tsukasa met with each and every creature to reassure them that they were doing well and that their efforts would not be in vain. Tadase was rather good at pointing out what they could work on, but not so much what they were doing right.

One nymph, Pepe, had almost burst out crying when Tadase had informed her that everything she was doing was childish and would be no help to the Guardian. Tsukasa had thought that that had been going a little too far. Hence, he'd gone after the nymph and calmed her down.

However, their time for preparing was quickly coming to an end. If Amu was using some of her magic, which they knew she was since they saw her mark on a human girl returned from the castle, then it would only be a matter of time before the Angel realized who she was. Be it her hair returning to its pink color or her using too much magic in front of him, Ikuto would soon know that the Guardian he searched for was already in his castle. If he knew then the Creatures had no hope of saving her.

This being the case, Tadase called everyone once more into a meeting. All the main creatures were there to pass the word along to those in their groups. Tadase prayed they were all ready; he was ready to have his Guardian back.

XXX

Ikuto sat at his desk with his head in his hands. Since he'd kissed Amu, any of the girls that he'd brought back hadn't even appealed to him. He'd had every intention of using them how he used to, but they did nothing for him. This fact frustrated the Angel beyond his usual gloom. One thing after another seemed to stack against him.

Sighing, Ikuto looked up as his door opened. A Griffin, Musashi, entered his office. "What is it?"

"That human, Amu, brought the other girl in to meet with me. She's still doing her tours. Send the human back. This is getting annoying and out of hand."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Ikuto leaned back in his chair. "Send for them. I'll return her now then. I don't have any more of a use for her here anyhow."

Musashi bowed before he ducked back out of the room. His wing tips and lion's tail dragging on the floor behind him as he padded out.

Ikuto braced himself for the energy he knew he was going to use in a short amount of time. Being near Amu seemed to take a lot out of him, though he couldn't really figure out why. The girl was only human. Maybe it was the dragon protecting her. Either way, Ikuto still readied himself.

Just as he predicted, Amu flew into the room with the other human girl just a bit behind her. "What did Musashi mean when he said you were sending Kira back already?!"

"You don't want her to go back to her family?"

"But I thought you were going to make her stay longer."

Snapping his fingers, Ikuto made the other human girl disappear. He knew that she'd reappear in her home, but his action caused him and Amu to be left alone. "Changed my mind."

Amu narrowed her eyes before moving closer to the Angel of Darkness. She poked him hard in the chest. "You better have actually sent her home! That girl was scared enough!"

Chuckling, Ikuto grabbed the girl's wrist and dragged her even closer. "Maybe I did."

"Ikuto!"

Turning his smile into a smirk, Ikuto placed a small kiss on the side of Amu's mouth. "Maybe I didn't."

Pushing away so that she could cross her arms, Amu tried to act angry towards the other. She was almost more than certain that Ikuto really had returned the other to her home, but there was a tiny voice nagging in the back of her mind to remind her that Ikuto didn't actually care about any of the girls that he brought here. "Don't lie to me!"

Sighing, Ikuto sat back down at his desk. "I sent her home. I may be the Angel of Darkness but I'm no liar."

Grinning, Amu spun to face the other. She gave him a wink before bowing and heading for the door. "Which is why I think you're way better than any of the other Angels that came before you!"

Ikuto sat stunned in his seat as the girl left. There Amu went again, saying stuff to make him feel good about himself. Why? Why did she have that effect on him? Why did he care so much that she thought he was better than any of the Angels before him? It shouldn't have mattered. It shouldn't have made him happy. It shouldn't have made him smile. But it did. It did and that scared Ikuto. This human girl should never have had such a power over him. None of the others had written about it. Ikuto knew they hadn't. He'd read their journals so many times over. This shouldn't have been happening, and the Angel of Darkness didn't know what to do about it.

Leaving his office and the confused air that was trapped in there, Ikuto headed for his throne room. It had been a while since he sat on his throne and the ruler of the underworld thought it was about time he did so. He liked the sense of power and authority he felt while he sat in his rightful place.

Some of his creatures passed before him. They all bowed respectfully to him as they went on their way. Something that made Ikuto sit just a little straighter. He had to stop thinking about the blonde girl running amuck in his castle because of some stupid dragon. There were more important things for him to be thinking about. Like finding the Guardian and discovering why there were reports of Creatures of the Light gathering in places.

Ikuto was in the middle of running through a list of possible reasons for the creatures to be gathering when Amu went skipping through the throne room. While the others under his control bowed to him out of respect, Amu just sent him a small wave.

Frowning, Ikuto stood and followed the blonde as she went on her way down the hall. "Amu."

"Oh hey Ikuto."

"Why didn't you bow to me?"

"I don't know. I never have before so I figured I didn't have to."

Wanting to bang his head against the wall, Ikuto held himself firm. "I'm the Angel of Darkness, Amu. You should be terrified of me. You should drop to your knees whenever I'm in your presence."

Scrunching up her forehead, Amu moved closer to the blue haired boy. "Are you feeling all right?"

Scowling, Ikuto pushed the hand that was moving for his forehead away from him. "I'm just fine so stop that! Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"Because you are Ikuto. Even if you are the Angel of Darkness, you aren't evil. You aren't going to hurt me just because I smile at you instead of cry. You're a good person, Ikuto, even if those before you weren't."

Once again, Ikuto felt pleased by those words. It made him angry to feel that way. "You have no idea who I am! Stop acting like you know who I am and what I would and wouldn't do! You know nothing! Nothing!"

Amu stared at the Angel as he screamed at her before turning and stalking away. She watched him go without being able to call out for him to stop. Ikuto was beyond angry and she didn't really understand why. She hadn't insulted him. In fact, Amu had thought she'd been complimenting him. Maybe Rima would understand. With that, Amu went to find her dragon friend.

Ikuto stalked down the hallway while trying to suppress his feelings of joy and accomplishment. He shouldn't have felt them. He shouldn't have been pleased by a mere human's words. Humans were nothing to him but play things. A way for him to pass his time while he searched for the Guardian. They were nothing but moments of pleasure in his long existence. Though they received none of that pleasure, Ikuto didn't care. He was the Angel of Darkness. He was to bring fear and destruction to the world.

With that thought firmly in mind, Ikuto teleported himself to the human world. His senses told him that a girl of the right age would be nearby. He found her easily and took her screaming back to his castle. Amu was nowhere to be seen, which was what Ikuto wanted. Throwing the crying girl onto his bed, Ikuto crawled on top of her. "You will not enjoy this. You should be afraid of me. I am the Angel of Darkness."

The girl began to sob so hard that she barely made a sound. Ikuto wanted to feel the same sense of power he'd felt in the past when he'd done this to other girls like this one, but he felt nothing. Nothing but a bit of pity for the girl and not at all aroused as he should have been.

XXX

Amu sucked in a sharp breath before suddenly standing. Rima was still speaking to her, but she was no longer listening. Somehow she knew. Amu knew that Ikuto had just gone for another girl. She was already in the castle and more afraid than any of the others had ever been. "I-I have to go! Ik-Ikuto! No!"

Rima didn't know what to do as the almost pink haired girl ran from the room. The Guardian didn't even stop to apologize to Nagihiko as the dark elf was shoved out of her way. The dragon and the elf exchanged shocked expressions as they watched her go.

Praying that she wouldn't be too late, Amu skidded around a corner and continued to run as fast as she could down the hall. Ikuto was better than this. Ikuto was different from how he used to be since she came to stay in the castle. He wouldn't hurt the girl. Even if he was mad at Amu, he wouldn't do anything to her.

Continuing to tell herself that, Amu flew down the halls until she was certain that Ikuto and the girl were in Ikuto's private room. Flinging the door open, Amu was met with the sight of two naked bodies on the bed. Ripped clothes lay around them and on the floor. The cry struggled and cried while Ikuto only frowned down at her. The look on his face told Amu that he was confused and angry. "Ikuto! No!"

Glancing up, Ikuto locked eyes with Amu. In that moment, need and arousal raced through him. His previous problem of feeling nothing for the human was suddenly gone and all he needed was to look at the human he already had as his prisoner. Smirking, Ikuto leaned down to lick up the crying girl's neck. "I think maybe it is time to show you just what I really do with the humans that come here. This is something you should be looking forward to, Amu."

Gasping, Amu's eyes went wide as she watched Ikuto rape the girl on the bed. Amu had thought that he wouldn't do it. She had thought that he was much better than that. She had thought that he was a good person. She had been wrong. Not entirely, but enough so that this girl got hurt. Ikuto was a good person, but Amu had thought that Ikuto was aware of that fact. He wasn't. He thought he was evil and had to do evil things even if that wasn't true. "N-no!"

Ikuto wanted to feel pleasure from the sex he was having, but he didn't. The girl below him was tight and that stimulated him on a physical level, but his mind couldn't remove the image of the disappointed and crying Amu. The fact that she looked so broken only made him thrust harder. It shouldn't matter what she thought of what he did. He was the Angel of Darkness and she was nothing. "This is how I treat nothing."

Amu couldn't stand there any longer. Covering her mouth with one hand, she stumbled backwards out of the room and down the hall. Her tears blurred her vision as the screams of the girl Ikuto was raping echoed down the hallway after her. This was not what she wanted.

.

Morg: So this is a rather dark chapter.

Ikuto: I wouldn't do another girl when Amu was right there.

Amu: So you're saying you'd wait until I was somewhere else?

Morg: Oh snap!

Ikuto: I meant that I'd be doing you.

Amu: Yeah right! Not happening.

Morg: Maybe later.

Ikuto: There better be a damn good reason for this to be happening.

Amu: I hope so as well. Rape isn't a good thing.

Morg: Amu has to realize her powers somehow, right?

Ikuto: Lame.

Amu: We'll see.

Morg: Review my dear readers! I love you lots!


	11. Chapter 11

Morg: Heyo! The last chapter was sort of a downer.

Ikuto: It was.

Amu: And this chapter isn't going to be?

Morg: I didn't say that.

Ikuto: So what was the point of making that comment?

Amu: I doubt she had one.

Morg: Sometimes I enjoy stating the obvious.

Ikuto: Okay then.

Amu: Here's something obvious. You don't own us.

Morg: Rub it in, Amu. Rub it in.

Ikuto: She can rub me but not you.

Amu: I'm not touching anyone.

**~Guardian of Light~**

Stumbling, Amu wasn't entirely certain as to where she was going. All the blonde knew was that she needed to get away. Away from the screams of the girl she couldn't protect. Away from the hurt and confusion that she knew was inside of Ikuto. Away.

Having been in the castle for a while, Amu knew where most every passageway led. But most was not all. This being the case, she threw herself down a stone corridor that she'd never been down before in the hopes of getting lot somewhere amongst the bricks of the foundation to drown in her own guilt and sadness. Tears blurred her vision and yet the girl pressed on.

They were quieter now, the screams, but they weren't gone. Amu could hear them. The begging and the pleading didn't stop just as Amu knew that Ikuto wouldn't either. She'd been pushing him lately to change his way of thinking and she'd pushed too hard. This was all her fault.

Not caring, Amu threw door after door open as she moved deeper into the castle. She yearned to go to Rima and allowed the dragon and the small amount of light in that cell to console her, but Amu wanted to taste her misery for a little while. These were the consequences of her actions and she was going to deal with them.

Unknown to the crying girl, a dark creature started following. At first, the witch was simply just curious to know as to why the girl that everyone spoke about as being happy and all smiles was stumbling and crying, but a particularly loud cry-not from the strawberry blonde-made that a little obvious. Kusu felt terrible that Ikuto had done this to the girl. She and the others had been hoping that Ikuto was going to lead them better with Amu's influence. She wasn't the Guardian to balance him out, but she was enough to bring some light to the dark castle.

Surprised, Kusu watched as Amu finally stopped running. The girl collapsed in the middle of the hall and sobbed. The witch felt terrible for the girl as she watched her cry. She'd even been about to move forward and try her hand at consoling when the girl threw her head back and let out a terrible scream.

The scream lasted more than a few seconds and shook Kusu to her core. There was so much power behind that scream. Power that wouldn't be found in any human or creature be they light or dark. This was beyond that. That was when Kusu understood. All this time and Ikuto had never known. Well, this was his own problem now. Whether Amu was tricking him or she didn't know the truth herself, Kusu wasn't about to interfere. They could handle it. This was between them.

Amu, thinking that she was alone, let all of her frustrations out. Everything that had been building was thrust away. Rima being captured. Being taken from Tadase and Tsukasa. The girls that Ikuto continued to rip away from their families. The girl that Ikuto had just broken almost beyond repair. All of it. Yes, she was angry. Yes, Amu hated that fact, but she wasn't going to allow her anger to consume her to the point where she did nothing to solve her problems. Mistakes were meant to be learned from. So Ikuto didn't like being pushed, Amu wouldn't push. She'd learned her lesson.

Crying out the rest of her tears, Amu began to form a plan in her mind. She was hurt as well. No one had actually touched her, but Amu felt as if a blow had been sent straight through her chest. Her hand clutched the fabric of her shirt just to make certain that there wasn't a hole going through it. She felt as though she was bleeding even if she wasn't.

When her last tears fell, Amu continued to kneel in the middle of the hall. Her surroundings were unfamiliar, but then again, Amu wanted them to be. The point was to get away from everything for a few hours. When she could, Amu would go back and she'd fix what she was able. The girl that Ikuto had raped, broken, wouldn't be as easy of problem to solve, but that wouldn't hold Amu back. Ikuto would more than likely show no remorse, but Amu wouldn't let him see her hurt, either. She needed to be strong and she was going to be.

XXX

It wasn't as though the girl wasn't physically pleasing him, Ikuto just couldn't find release. This wasn't what he wanted. Before it didn't matter. Before he'd take what he wanted and have no thought towards others. But that was before. That was before Amu.

Refusing to give into the thought that he was actually different-a thought that petrified Ikuto-the Angel of Darkness continued to hurt the girl he had pinned to his bed. Her cries were beginning to die out, though it didn't help with his problem. She wasn't enough. She wasn't what he wanted. She wasn't…

A surge of power swept through his castle. Ikuto halted his movements to try and pinpoint the location of the source of the power wave. Being that this was his castle, Ikuto had that sort of control. Somewhere deep, near Kusu's rooms, though Ikuto couldn't be certain. The witch wasn't capable of producing something as powerful as he had felt. The surge left his fingers tingling.

Getting off his bed, Ikuto looked down at the bleeding, crying girl. "You're lucky that something came up or this would have been worse for you. Try and escape. I dare you."

The threat wasn't exactly needed, though it made Ikuto feel better. With that being said, he reclothed himself before going to investigate.

XXX

Rima stilled in her and Nagi's work to feel the power of the Guardian flow through her. Amu was upset and hurt and her call was still lingering in the air. Everything within Rima's body ached for the dragon to aid her master. There was no way for her to do anything. Rima wouldn't be able to get out of the room with her body being so big. The only doors that would allow her to exit were locked tight and unbreakable.

There was that and the fact that no one in the castle knew of Amu's true identity. Though, the Guardian may have just unknowingly given herself away, Rima couldn't help but fight the urge to go to her when staying away would mean protecting her. This was for the best.

Focusing back on her work, Rima tried to send Amu some comfort even if she couldn't go to her physically.

XXX

Stopping midsentence, Tadase looked off into the distance. He'd felt it. He was rather certain that everyone had felt it. Amu was in trouble. Amu needed them. "Tsukasa."

"I know. I may not have been created like the rest of you were, but I felt it, too. Amu is hurting. We cannot act recklessly though. Think it through. We're almost prepared. She can hang in there a little longer."

Tadase's hand found the sword that hung on his hip. The Knight of Light was ready for battle. "If he hurt her, I'll kill him."

Laying a hand on his nephew's shoulder, Tsukasa tried to keep some of the anger in the other at bay. "What good would that do? He'd be reincarnated and we'd have to find him again. Not everything can be solved with violence."

Scoffing, Tadase couldn't disagree even if he didn't agree.

XXX

Finished with her self-pitying, Amu picked herself up off the dirty floor. Brushing away some of the dirt that had taken up residence on her clothing, the blonde turned to begin back the way she'd come. Her journey back would probably take some time, but then again, time was what she needed to think. Amu was only human, but there was so much that she could do. So much that she wanted to do.

Being that she'd been crying, Amu wasn't certain which way to go to get back. Thinking back, she didn't remember going around too many corners. Her path had been pretty much a straight shot down into the depths of the castle. So, through reasoning, Amu concluded that going straight up would get her back to areas that she knew.

Halfway there, Amu heard voices. One she recognized and it infuriated her, the other she wasn't familiar with.

"Kusu, what was that earlier? Were you doing something?"

"Wasn't me."

"Do you know who it was then?"

Amu peeked around the corner to see Ikuto's back to her. The Angel of Darkness was talking to a shorter girl with a star on one cheek and a teardrop on the other. Amu had never met her before.

Not wanting to lie and not wanting to tell the truth, Kusu let out a sigh. "I do but I'm not telling and no amount of threatening will make me. You made this mess so you clean it up."

Ikuto let out a frustrated noise before sighing. "You're lucky it's just you and me down here. If you'd disrespected me like that if front of any of the others I'd have to put you in your place."

Grinning, Kusu turned without being dismissed. "But it isn't just you and me down here."

Surprised, Amu wasn't certain that she wanted to deal with Ikuto just yet. The blonde wasn't entirely certain as to what she was going to say to him. What could she say to him? I'm sorry that pushing you to realize that you aren't evil caused you to rape someone? That didn't sound very good in her head and she definitely wasn't going to say it out loud.

Flailing a bit, Amu tried to find somewhere to hide as Ikuto turned around. There just weren't a lot of places to go in a corridor with nothing around. Resigning to being spotted, Amu schooled her face to show no emotions. Her eyes dropped to the floor as her hands found each other in front of her waist. Ikuto was probably still angry with her and would lash out at someone else if she did anything.

"Amu."

Her name was said so breathlessly that Amu almost looked up. Her gaze, however, stayed on the stone floor.

Taking a step forwards, all the guilt and remorse that Ikuto didn't know he could feel plowed through him. Amu's distraught face flashed in his mind as he looked down at the girl before him. Her hair didn't seem as blonde and her face showed that she'd been crying-what he could see of it-but beside that she looked unharmed.

The part that confused Ikuto was what Amu was doing there. He'd felt the power come from here and Kusu had said she knew, but what was Amu doing there? "Why are you down here?"

Shrugging, Amu wasn't entirely certain how to answer that question. She'd wanted to escape and this is where she'd gone. How does one go about telling that to one's captor? "I got a bit lost when I ran away."

The words seemed to empty and dull that they sent an ache through Ikuto's chest. "I'll show you the way back."

Nodding, Amu waited for Ikuto to show her the way. The Angel continued to look at her for a few more seconds before he turned and started. Keeping her head down, Amu followed.

Ikuto didn't know what to do. Amu was usually so energetic despite being stuck in his castle, and yet, here she was with a downcast head and no visible happiness to be seen. Granted, Ikuto had raped a girl in front of her, but that was to show her what he was really like. Amu had to understand. Still, Ikuto didn't like this sullen Amu.

Turning to the girl just before he let her out of the corridor and back into one of the main parts of the castle, Ikuto stopped their progress. This was all wrong. The Angel of Darkness wasn't quite sure what he'd been going for earlier when he'd raped that other girl. He'd just been so confused and now Amu was being strange. Wanting to fix things but not knowing how, Ikuto sighed. "I'm sorry."

Stunned, Amu looked up for the first time. "What?"  
>"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that in front of you and I have no real excuse to give that should be given because what I didn't shouldn't be forgiven, but I am sorry."<p>

Feeling her anger flare, Amu schooled herself once more. Others weren't going to be hurt because of her. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

It was Ikuto's turn to be stunned. She didn't sound bitter though Ikuto could tell the girl was disappointed. "Look, you can go… see her. I don't know. Try to fix her up a bit and then I'll send her home. I don't want to see her again."

Glaring a bit, Amu couldn't help herself. No matter how much she tried to push her anger away, it still came back. "I don't think she wants to see you ever again either."

"Amu-"

"Ikuto, I'm not exactly happy with the situation right now. I'll get over it because I have to. It's just… I thought better of you."

Those words hurt more than any she could have screamed ever would have. Ikuto, for the first time in a very long time, didn't know what to say as the girl turned away from him and headed for his room.

.

Morg: So yeah. Things are a bit awkward now.

Ikuto: I'd apologize but like I said in the last chapter, I wouldn't do anyone other than Amu.

Amu: Still not happening.

Morg: Not yet. ;3

Ikuto: I like your style.

Amu: Perverts.


	12. Chapter 12

Morg: Heyo!

Ikuto: …Was that it?

Amu: I know, right? Usually she makes lame excuses and is lame.

Morg: I don't need to give an excuse for being awesome.

Ikuto: It was better when she was quiet.

Amu: Agreed.

Morg: But I don't have anything to feel bad about. I update when I can.

Ikuto: What about not owning us and being unable to make Amuto a real thing?

Amu: Thank heavens for that never happening.

Morg: Good point. I'll work hard!

Ikuto: Yeah!

Amu: Like I said, never happening.

**~Guardian of Light~**

"Is everything ready?"

Different types of creatures stood around the small clearing. The cry they'd all felt from the Guardian had pushed everyone to work harder to be ready to rescue her. The amount of eyes they had watching the single entrance to the Angel of Darkness' underground layer tripled. Their rouse to draw of the Dame of Darkness worked. The girl was currently tracking false stories of there being gatherings in another part of the world. The Creatures of Light were ready to rescue their Guardian.

All but one, that was. Tsukasa understood the feeling of need and urgency. Amu's cry had been heart wrenching and painful. Still, something held the man back. Amu was the Guardian for a reason. She could handle herself, even though she was currently unaware of her powers. Despite everything that had happened, the Guardian's place was next to the Angel. Being with Ikuto, like she was, couldn't be a bad thing. Not all together. Knowing that he'd only be met with arguments for his thoughts, Tsukasa kept them to himself as he watched their camp getting ready to move.

Seeing his uncle watching silently off to the side, Tadase approached the older man. "Not long now and we'll have Amu back."

Knowing that the words were supposed to be reassuring and taken as a good thing, Tsukasa just smiled.

Patting the quiet man on the back, Tadase moved forwards to address the creatures around them. They were nervous. They'd be attacking at noon when the sun was at its highest. That gave them more power, but also limited the time they had to find Amu and get out of the maze of tunnels. "Are we ready?"

There were a few murmurs from within the crowd.

Frowning at the response he received, Tadase clasped his hands behind his back. "I think we're ready. Our Guardian needs us. Every single one of us. Just as we love her, she loves us. The Angel may have her, but our Guardian is not one to be kept prisoner! We have to get her back to let her lead us once more. The time of keeping her safe and hidden has passed. So into the dark we will go. Down deep into the earth where the sun can hardly reach, but like the sun we so love, we will rise again! We will have our Guardian and the Angel shall learn his place once more! So I ask you once again! Are we ready?"

The response this time was much greater than the previous.

Grinning at the creatures around him, Tadase urged everyone to finish their tasks to that they could go. The quicker they were in position, the quicker they'd be able to get Amu back.

XXX

Standing in front of Ikuto's bedroom door wasn't exactly where Amu wanted to be at the moment. The sounds of whimpers and cries could still be heard from the girl that he'd stolen. Part of the reason for her hesitation had to do with her reluctance to see what Ikuto had done. She knew. There was no erasing that memory from Amu's mind. She knew what had happened and how badly the girl was hurting.

Gathering her courage, Amu pushed the door to Ikuto's bedroom open. She could just make out a bundle of blankets on the large bed. The dark sheets quivered as sobs filled the air. The pinkish blonde approached the bed in order to offer some sort of comfort. At first, Amu had approached slowly in order to not scare the crying girl. As she got closer, Amu realized that the girl was more than aware of her presence, but could do nothing to get further away than what she was already doing. Her pain was so great that she was forced to stay in the bed soiled by her innocence.

Amu let out one quiet sigh before approaching the pair of frightened eyes fixed on her. "Please, I'm not going to hurt you. I was too late to stop this, but I can at least offer you some comfort. He won't come back. He's promised to send you home after I clean you up. I'm so sorry."

"Wh-why?"

The word held so many more questions than it should have. Amu knew that this terrified girl wanted to know why she was there, why she was chosen, why it had to be her, why did this happen. Those were all questions that Amu would never be able to answer. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're going to be okay and you're going home."

Small whimpers escaped her mouth before the girl shifted just slightly. A louder cry filled the air between them as she curled up on herself. "It does! It matters! H-he!"

"I know." Amu couldn't help the sympathy she felt for the poor girl in front of her. Seeing this sight made Amu wish she could have stopped this long ago. Ikuto had tortured other girls before Amu was brought to his castle. But this girl. This girl would be the last. Amu was determined. "I pushed him. This is my fault, and I take responsibility. But instead of focusing on the wrongs that have been done, let's worry about getting you better so you can go home. First, tell me your name."

Feeling anger filling her but unable to express it, the girl pushed her blankets off her head to give the new girl a better view of her face. "Mindy. I'm Mindy."

"Well Mindy, I'm Amu. I've been down here with the Angel of Darkness for some time and he really isn't evil. I know you may forever think that way, but to me he isn't. He isn't the only one at fault, but he's agreed to attempt to make up for his wrongs. So in order to get you home, let's get you cleaned up. I'm going to help you over to the bathroom so you can wash up. I will get you some new clothes and when you feel that you are able, I'll tell him to send you back."

So many things filled Mindy's mind. Who was Amu to the Angel that she could do and say what she was? Why did this girl think that focusing on making her better was a better option? She'd just been raped and was already being told to forget about it and move on with her life. Mindy didn't think she could do it, but at the same time she found herself nodding along to what Amu wanted. "I'm… I'm naked."

Giving the girl an encouraging smile, Amu gestured to herself. "I've got the same things you do. I promise you that I'm only here to help you clean up."

Mindy nodded and allowed for the other to help her from the bed and to the bathroom. The trip was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do. Her pain was so great as it took over her body. Several times, Mindy asked to stop their movements so she could force her lungs to take in air.

The warm water of the bath tub seemed to make things more bearable for the raped girl. Grateful to have Amu there as the girl began scrubbing her hair and her back, Mindy took a second to look at the girl helping her when Amu wasn't seated behind her. "You know, at first I thought your hair was blonde."

Smiling at the fact that the other sounded much less frightened, Amu made a face. "It is. Maybe being underground for so long has made it lose some of its shine."

Shaking her head, Mindy knew that that wasn't the case. Amu's hair wasn't not shiny. It just wasn't blonde like she originally thought. Not that it mattered. "What am I going to do when I get back?"

Moving back to put conditioner in the girl's hair so that it would be silky and soft, Amu continued their small talk in order to continue to calm down the girl she was helping. "What do you mean?"

"What guy will want someone tainted so horribly by the Angel of Darkness? What will my parents say? Will they keep me?"

The anguish was so great in the girl's words that Amu had to close her eyes to hold back her tears as she slid her fingers through wet strands of hair to spread the conditioner evenly. "Are your parents loving? Did you have someone in mind for a husband?"

Thinking about her life before this, Mindy shrugged. "I suppose they have always been there for me. I've never had any troubles before, though. What if this makes them hate me? A scornful daughter that was tainted. A disgrace."

"No. Not a disgrace. A survivor. Would you rather just forget everything?"

The offer was tempting. Even with Amu gently massaging her scalp and talking with her like they've known each other for years, Mindy could feel the fear still there. Her nights would forever be restless with images of what was done to her. Her future would be filled with darkness that would be hers alone. No one she knew at home would understand anything that she'd gone through and she'd be treated differently for it. "It might make things easier. I don't want to be an outcast."

Sighing, Amu knew what the girl would go through. If she could take everything away, she would. If Mindy could forget and heal, Amu would do it in a heartbeat. "Then forget. Don't speak of it ever again and cast this memory from your mind. Your body will heal and no one will ever know. Instead, believe that you went for a walk and was lost. Little time has passed since you were taken. Go back and sleep in your bed like none of this has never happened."

Neither girl was aware of the power passing between them. Being unaware of her powers, Amu used them without notice. Her words were made reality as the girl disappeared from the bath tub.

Surprised, Amu stared at the empty water. Ikuto must have figured that Mindy was ready to go and had sent her back. Sighing, the very unaware that she was definitely not a blonde girl pushed up from her spot and dried her hands before leaving the bathroom. Just as Amu crossed the floor of Ikuto's bedroom to find the Angel himself, a loud boom echoed through the earth. Amu felt the ground shaking around her.

In a moment of panic, Amu remembered the slit in the ceiling above Rima. Any sort of earthquake would cause the roof in that room to crack, bringing down dirt and rocks. The dragon would be smothered.

Running through the underground palace as more vibrations moved through the ground, walls and ceiling, Amu stayed focused on her need to get to Rima. She might have been too late for Mindy, but she wouldn't be for the dragon.

Creatures that followed Ikuto scurried through the halls, calling out orders to one another and passing on commands from the Angel himself. Amu forgot her original plan to find said Angel as she rushed past everyone else. No one hardly spared her a glance as she went by.

Sprinting down the small hallway that led to Rima's chamber, Amu felt her lungs burning. Something was happening. Something was definitely wrong, but she couldn't stop to think about what it might be. Rima came before all else. "Rima!"

The large dragon turned to look at the girl that entered the room. One huge eye remained on Amu as the other took in Nagihiko's response to seeing Amu with vibrant pink hair. Something else had happened to break the spell hiding Amu's powers completely. "Amu!"

Staring at the pinkette rushing towards the dragon, Nagihiko couldn't move. His brain simply wouldn't process what he was seeing. He'd been with Amu plenty of times and she'd never… "What?"

Looking up at the ceiling to see that there were indeed cracks in the rock, Amu wrapped both of her arms around Rima's snout. "I was so scared that the roof was going to cave in on you!"

Still watching the dark elf, Rima tried to reassure the Guardian. There was no way that Amu knew the truth. The girl wasn't aware of her powers yet, even if she had been using them. "If everything shakes any more than it will come down. You shouldn't be in here, Amu. The falling rocks won't hurt me as much as they might hurt you."

"I won't leave you!"

Nagi knew that he should go find Ikuto and tell him. The elf should have been sounding the alarm and calling off the search of the girl that was standing right before him. The one that had been with them for some time. The one that they should have known, but didn't. The weirdest part was that Amu didn't seem to know. "Rima's right, Amu. You shouldn't be here."

The dragon was beyond surprised at the elf's reaction, but Rima didn't argue. They didn't know what was happening and they couldn't allow for Amu to get hurt. "Go back to your room and don't leave it, Amu. We don't know what's wrong. You just stay out of the way until it's figured out."

Shaking her head without letting go of the dragon, Amu wasn't going to leave for safety when her friends were in danger. "I won't! I'll stay here with you!"

Sighing, Rima looked for Nagi to help. Just as she moved to try and shake the girl off her nose the ground shook and the ceiling broke. Roaring, the dragon managed to get Amu off her snout to lift her head and blast any falling rocks or dirt away with her ability to breathe fire. The dragon was expecting to see sky once she finished. An escape route that she could hopefully use to get her and Amu to safety. Instead, she was met with Creatures of the Light pouring into the opening and landing amongst the rubble around them. "What's happening?"

Landing, Tadase moved away from the creature that had carried him. "Amu! Rima! Are you safe? We have to go. We must get out of here!"

Confused as to what Tadase was doing there, Amu stared at the boy in shock for a few seconds before looking around at all the other creatures from her spot of safety beneath Rima's large chin. "Why are you here?"

Eyes taking in the sight of Amu's fully pink hair, Tadase felt his fear grow. If the Angel knew… "We're here to rescue you. Amu, there are lots of things that we have to talk about, but this isn't the place to do it. We have to go! Rima, can you fly?"

The dragon nodded. She didn't notice if Nagihiko had just gone unnoticed or if Tadase was ignoring the elf on purpose, but the dragon didn't want anything to happen to the man she'd spent so much time with. "I can. I'll carry you and Amu. Let's go."

Amu didn't have a chance to protest as she was grabbed around her waist by a Tadase wearing an odd looking suit of armor-with a cape that she found ridiculous-and hoisted onto the dragon. Before she could so much as settle, he was already behind her and holding onto her tightly.

Rima bent her large legs, getting ready to push off the ground and stretch her wings for the first time in weeks. If it hadn't been just after noon, Rima knew she'd never manage to get off the ground, but the sun and the touch of the Guardian gave her strength. Still, the dragon couldn't help but send a look towards the elf standing back in the shadows. He watched without comment as she began to escape. Rima wanted to say something to him, but no words would come.

The underground castle began shaking once more causing Tadase to tighten his grip around Amu. "That's the wizard, Rhythm, signaling that we must go. Hold on tight."

The other creatures escaped as Rima began using her powerful wings. Amu couldn't understand what was happening. One minute it felt as though the castle was collapsing and the next she was being whisked away by Tadase. Her eyes managed to catch sight of several of the creatures of Ikuto's castle filing into the room as Rima lifted from the floor. Ikuto followed. "Ikuto!"

Reacting to the call of his name, Ikuto locked eyes with Amu. At first he was stunned to see her held so tightly by the Knight of Light on Rima's back as the dragon took off. So much to rescue one human? Then the sight of her pink hair registered in his brain. She wasn't some human. There was a reason why Amu was unaffected even being underground. "You're the Guardian!?"

The surprise and hurt in Ikuto's voice made Amu cringe. The movement brought a few locks of her hair into her face. The pink color shocked her, but Amu knew, just as everyone else alive, that pink haired signaled the Guardian. "Ikuto! No, Ikuto! I didn't know! Ikuto!"

Even as she screamed for him, Amu could see the hatred filling Ikuto's eyes. He would never forgive her for this.

.

Morg: Well this chapter was a bitch to write.

Ikuto: Why do you say that?

Amu: Probably because she kept trying to put it off.

Morg: Nope, but do you see everything that happened? There was just so much and I didn't want to split it.

Ikuto: Just as everyone understands that I'll be getting Amu back.

Amu: Good luck.

Morg: Was that encouragement?

Ikuto: Yep!

Amu: No!


	13. Chapter 13

Morg: Heyo! How tired are your arms?

Ikuto: What? Why?

Amu: Oh no. Please don't.

Morg: Because I left you hanging from that cliff!

Ikuto: Please stop.

Amu: This is why we can't trust her to own anything.

Morg: Love me~

**~Guardian of Light~**

Ikuto stared at the hole in the ceiling of his underground castle. Sunlight streamed into the dark cave, causing most of his creatures to back away towards the shadows. The Angel was so much in shock that he didn't know how to respond. Amu was the Guardian. Amu. The girl that had been with him the entire time. Now that he knew, the signs were rather obvious. Everything he had told himself was the dragon's doing was actually the girl herself. She'd known the whole time and never told him. After all the talks they had, the fights, Amu had never come clean. Ikuto had never felt so betrayed.

Seeing that his master was in such turmoil, Nagihiko calmly approached the Angel of Darkness. "She didn't know."

Snapping his head towards the dark elf, Ikuto didn't want to hear what the other had to say. "She had to of."

"She didn't."

Narrowing his gaze, Ikuto took in the dirt covered face of the other. "You were here. You were here from before they escaped and you did nothing."

Standing his ground, Nagihiko tried to remain brave in the face of wrath. Ikuto was rather scary when he was angry. "I only knew moments before the ceiling gave. It wasn't long enough. She came in with her hair so pink to make certain that Rima was okay after the castle started shaking. Amu didn't know. She was more than surprised when the Knight of Light came in."

Scowling, Ikuto turned towards the door. It was the middle of the day and not the time to pursue the creatures that had just broken into his castle. He would get his revenge. "She must be a fantastic actress if she even fooled you."

Nagihiko couldn't do anything but watch the Angel storm out of the broken room. Other creatures followed his path, already preparing for their attack that night. The dark elf couldn't do anything but sigh.

XXX

After they landed, Amu had smiled and thanked the eager creatures around her before retiring to a small hut. Despite all the smiles around her, Amu couldn't forget the look on Ikuto's face when the Angel saw her on the dragon's back with Tadase right behind her. Amu wasn't entirely certain why it mattered so much to her if Ikuto seemed to be in pain. Granted, she understood now that he was the Angel and she was the Guardian and they were supposed to be together, but none of that mattered. She was Amu and he was Ikuto. That's what mattered. Down there while she stayed in his castle, Amu got to know Ikuto. She liked Ikuto. The Angel was scary. The Angel was who she saw when they took her away.

The Guardian felt rather stupid now that she knew. There were more than a few signs as to who she really was. Ikuto wasn't the only one that felt betrayed. Tadase and Tsukasa had been with her since she could remember and had never told her. In fact, Amu realized now that she'd been under a spell the entire time so that she wouldn't know the truth. How could she trust them?

The now pinkette's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Looking up, Amu was met with the sight of a rather tired looking Tsukasa entering her little hut. She looked away from his smile. Amu didn't want to see it.

Tsukasa, never in all the years he'd been alive, had thought that this was to be how Amu discovered the truth about herself. All while she was growing up and living with him and Tadase, the older man had made certain to make sure that the girl knew that she was special but that she shouldn't talk about it. He didn't blame her for how she responded to him now. "Amu-chan."

Tears welled up faster than Amu could blink them away. Before she knew it, the young girl was being hugged by a man she thought she couldn't trust but still felt safe in his arms. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

Tsukasa carried some of the blame. He would always carry his fair share, but the decision to keep Amu's identity a secret from her even after she was old enough to know how to handle the information was Tadase's decision. "That's a question for my nephew. How are you doing, Amu?"

Leaning back, Amu wiped some of the tears from her face. "Terrible. I'm terrible. Yes, I'm thankful for what they've done and I love them because I'm the Guardian and they're my Creatures, but I fell so torn. I didn't want to leave Ikuto."

More than certain that the Guardian felt as she did because she was once again separated from the Angel, Tsukasa moved to give her another hug. "Then you should figure out how to get back to him."

"How can I do that? How can I just leave and go back when everyone just risked so much to get me? I can't be that selfish."

Standing to his full height, Tsukasa regretted many things he'd done in his life at that moment. "Amu, you are the Guardian of Light. We were wrong to keep it from you for as long as we did, but you know now. You know who you are and what your duties are. As long as you carry them out, everyone here doesn't care where you are. If you want to be with Ikuto then be with Ikuto."

Drying her face, Amu nodded to the man she'd always looked to for advice. Tsukasa may not have told her everything, and she understood why, but he'd also never lied to her. "You weren't there. You didn't see his face. Even if I go back, Ikuto isn't going to want me. He thinks I knew. He thinks I betrayed him."

Patting the girl on her shoulder, Tsukasa moved back towards the door he came in through. "All you can do is try. Tadase and the others are preparing for some sort of attack. They know it will come tonight. The Angel won't take the Knight of Light breaking into his castle and stealing you away easily. Ikuto will come, and he will be ready to fight. What will you do?"

A fight? Amu didn't want that. Tsukasa's question hung in the air long after the older man left her alone with her thoughts. What could she do? They'd only just 'rescued' her. Amu couldn't just give them smiles and say thanks but no thanks. It didn't work like that. Even though she hadn't known for long that she was the Guardian, Amu still knew she couldn't just walk away.

Whatever conclusion she was coming to was interrupted by the sound of the door opening once again. Amu knew without looking that it was Tadase. He was, after all, her Knight of Light. "What is it?"

Grinning at the girl he'd worked so hard to get back, Tadase couldn't help but pull Amu into a hug. "We did it! You're safe. We've been preparing for his counter attack. Don't worry, you'll be perfectly fine with us. Every creature here is determined to keep you away from harm."

Amu could barely listen to the boy speak. Before Ikuto had taken her, back when she lived a simple life with Tsukasa and Tadase, Amu would have listened with awe and respect to whatever Tadase told her. Now, now it was painful. Even though she was the Guardian and the Angel was looking for her, Amu had never been in any danger when she was with Ikuto. Tadase needed to stop. Everything he was saying was so wrong. "Why are you here?"

Smile faltering for only a second, Tadase took in the less than excited look that Amu wore. "To celebrate your safe return. Why do you look so… down?"

Taking in a deep breath, Amu felt the familiarity that she had with this man disappear. There was no longer the bond of friendship. He was the Knight of Light and she the Guardian. "I am thankful for the effort that everyone here has displayed. I'm proud of how well they worked together."

"What are you saying?"

"I belong by Ikuto's side. Not here in some small hut in the middle of the forest."

Appalled, Tadase pushed away from the girl before him. "You can't be serious! You want to go back to… to… Him!? Do you know what the Angel of Darkness does? Do you know what he has done? It was only a matter of time before he figured out who you were and imprisoned you just like he did all those centuries ago!"

"That was a different Angel. That wasn't Ikuto."

"You're the same! Reincarnation after reincarnation! I've seen it several times. He does the same things again and again and we do what we can to keep you safe! I will not let you throw this chance to right the balance away!"

At first, Amu was calm and collected and willing to let the other get his frustrations out. However, the Knight crossed the line the moment he tried to tell her what to do. "I am the Guardian of Light! Who are you to speak to me in such a way!?"

Backing away for reasons different from the ones he had before, Tadase dropped to his knees before Amu. Her pink hair was longer and the simple clothes she'd been wearing transformed into a suit of golden armor with a long red cape. Tadase had only seen the Guardian in battle gear once before. The sight silenced him. "Guardian."

"No, you shall listen now. I am the Guardian. You are a loyal and trusted servant, but do not forget your place. You will not command me."

"Amu."

Turning her face away from where the Knight kneeled, Amu let out a sigh. "I wanted to give you the chance to explain but I understand now. Your task to protect me is over. I am in charge of my own future. Leave."

Stumbling to do as commanded, Tadase opened his mouth several times to say something, anything to girl before him and couldn't. In the end, he left her in silence.

Tears once again began to pour down Amu's face. For selfish reasons, she'd been taken from the place she belonged. He'd used the good intentions of others to meet his own gain. Tadase was a fool. Though not as big of one as Amu herself. A fool for not realizing before what was right in front of her.

XXX

Ikuto smirked at the sight of his most trusted servant returning. The Dame of Darkness had spent much of her time outside the castle after Ikuto had kidnapped Amu. Now that he knew who the Guardian was and where she was, Ikuto wanted Lulu back at his side. Together, they would take back what was his. "Welcome back."

"Master."

Motioning for the girl to get off her knees, Ikuto waved his hand towards the chair that was always for the Dame. "You found them?"

Smirking, Lulu took her spot by her master's side. "In the woods not far from here. They are fools for not going further. They should flee while they have the chance."

Returning the sinister look, Ikuto clenched his hand around the armrest of his chair. Amu would be his and this time, he wouldn't hold back. "Yes, they are. We strike as the sunsets."

.

Morg: So much happening~

Ikuto: I really wish I didn't know you.

Amu: You aren't the only one.

Morg: But come on! This story is totally epic!

Ikuto: Can you say that about your own story?

Amu: Conceited.

Morg: Be serious! It's true! I rock!


	14. Chapter 14

Morg: Heyo! You guys are so awesome!

Ikuto: I know.

Amu: I think she meant her readers…

Morg: Definitely my readers! So much support for this story! Seriously! Thanks, yo!

Ikuto: Oh.

Amu: Awkward.

Morg: Don't forget that I don't own anything but my own plots! Hang in there! We're getting close to the end!

Ikuto: Great.

Amu: You're so cute when you're embarrassed.

Morg: …

Ikuto: …

Amu: What?

Morg: Nothing.

Ikuto: Nothing at all.

**Guys! My new cover art is a fanart made by the lovely ****semberthemushroom****! She is amazing and brilliant and has made several other fanarts for me for this story and Indebted! Please follow my link on my profile page to check them out! I've favorite them on my page! That being said, if you have any fanarts that you've done, please let me know! If they are awesome and amazing like this one I might just use them as my cover art! **

**~Guardian of Light~**

Tears long dried, Amu once again looked out the window of the small cottage. Everything seemed so ridiculous now that she knew the truth. The secret that had been so well kept made her feel almost stupid for not realizing it before. So many things about her life made sense now. Her inability to sleep. The happiness she gained from the sun. With the amount of power she could feel flowing through her body, Amu couldn't believe she was so dense that she hadn't figured it out faster. Still, now that she knew, she had choices to make. Decisions that would be difficult. Ones that she'd have to see to the end. Ones that others wouldn't understand but her heart yearned for. Her place was at Ikuto's side, just as his was beside her. They were two who were only complete when together.

For as right as she felt with her power no longer blocked, Amu felt wrong. Ikuto's hurt face from back in his castle kept flashing into her mind. Granted, he'd done things to hurt her as well, but he didn't know that she was the Guardian when he was doing them. Not that that mattered so much. Her being the Guardian shouldn't have influenced Ikuto's actions that much. Granted, Amu hadn't known either. Which was something she hoped she could convince Ikuto of. The other didn't seem likely to believe her.

The urge and the want to be with the Angel was strong. Incredibly strong. The now pinkette could feel the creatures around her. She could feel their joy and their desire to only be closer to her. Amu wanted to give them what they wanted since she'd been in hiding for so long. However, she wanted to give herself what she wanted, as well.

Squaring her shoulders, Amu let the image of Ikuto's bedroom come to mind. Just because she hadn't had her powers for long didn't mean that she didn't know how to use them. Once the spell had been lifted she gained full access to all her abilities. Going to talk to the Angel wouldn't hurt anyone.

Within seconds, she was standing in the room she'd been thinking about. Ikuto wasn't there, but she knew he was coming. She could feel him just as she knew that he could feel her now that she was finally free from restraints. Always, they would call out to one another.

Not a few minutes later, the door slammed open before it was quickly slammed shut. Amu simply remained standing in her full armor in the middle of Ikuto's bedroom as the Angel stalked towards her.

Relief at seeing the girl before him was quickly shoved away by his anger. "So you returned? Didn't have enough fun rubbing it in my face earlier?"

The amount of hurt that she could hear in his voice made Amu cringe. "Ikuto. I didn't know."

"I'm not really interested in hearing your excuses."

Allowing herself to be backed up until she hit a wall, Amu maintained eye contact with the one being she knew she wanted to always be with. "It's the truth. I was under a spell."

Falling silent for only a second, Ikuto sneered at nothing before turning back to face the pinkette in front of him. "The Knight of Light was trying to protect his mistress. I'll see that he receives due punishment."

Amu's face hardened within seconds. Her creatures were under her protection but also her judgment. "That isn't for you to decide."

Laughing a laugh that didn't sound at all joyful, Ikuto slammed his hands against the wall on either side of Amu's head. "I don't think that's for you to decide. The little Kiddy King wronged me. I'll deliver my own punishment."

Just because she hadn't realized her power for long didn't mean that Amu couldn't understand what her job was. She was to protect those under her care. Ikuto's was the same, only somewhere along the way, his job was twisted into what it currently was. Amu had faith, however, that Ikuto would be able to return things to how they were. The Angel had proven to her that he was a decent man. "Ikuto."

"I don't think you understand the situation you're in, _Amu._ You came back to me, willingly I might add. I'm the one in control here. Not you. Now, I'm going to exact my revenge on anyone and anything that tried to stand between me finding you. You will wait here for me or else I'll never forgive you. Do you understand?"

Unable to move from her spot without pushing against the man trapping her there, Amu held back her tears. "But Ikuto!"

"No! Those fools thought that they could outsmart the Angel of Darkness! This cannot go unpunished! I will kill all of them! _Do you understand!?_"

Tears falling, Amu stood silently as Ikuto panted in her face.

Satisfied that he wasn't being fought against, Ikuto moved a step back before grabbing Amu's jaw. "When I return, I'll claim what's rightfully mine."

Amu didn't fight against the lips pressed harshly against her own. She didn't fight the tight grip on her chin or arm. The Guardian of Light didn't do anything at all as the Angel of Darkness stormed right back out of his room. She couldn't. Not with the fate of all her loved ones in that man's hands.

The feeling in her chest that she thought would disappear once she'd returned to Ikuto was still there. Though now Amu knew that it was for a different reason. The longing wouldn't go away. She'd have to choose one. There was no way for the pinkette to have both. She either had to be the Guardian with the Angel or the Guardian, who protected her creatures. The crying girl now knew that there wasn't a way for her to be both. The previous Angels had made Ikuto just as twisted. Amu couldn't allow him to do something he might one day regret.

XXX

Tadase was silent as he felt his uncle approach him. The Knight kept his eyes out towards where the sun was setting in the distance. His heart felt betrayed though he knew he had no right. "She's gone."

"I know."

"She went back to him even though she knew about all the horrible things he's done."

Placing a hand on his nephew's shoulder, Tsukasa let out a short sigh. "Tadase, she was always meant to be with him. Amu has to figure out what to do for herself. You and I could never actually tell her what to do. We often just got lucky that she'd go along with what we wanted."

"This is different! She-"

"Is it? I don't think so. She's the Guardian of Light. What Amu does is protect those under her care. Do you honestly think she could ever betray any of us? The truth has been hidden from her for a long time. She has to figure out what is right for herself."

"Even returning to him, Ikuto won't back down. He's coming tonight."

"Then we'll prepare."

"He'll destroy us all."

"I'm telling you that she won't let him."

XXX

The Dame of Darkness was known for her cold beauty. Lulu never hesitated to follow her master's orders. Her purpose was to serve him. No matter the task, Lulu would complete it. The Creatures of the Light feared her. The Creatures of the Dark feared her. The Dame was respected because she was feared. The confidence around her was one that would not be easily broken.

Called by her master to ready his subjects, Lulu complied. Everyone was pulled from the castle out onto a grassy plain in the fading light. Soon it would be time for them to strike. Her master wanted his prize.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, master."

Stepping to his servant's side, Ikuto looked over the creatures he ruled. "Good. They will be weak due to the darkness. Amu's _precious_ creatures won't receive any protection from her."

"Master?"

Smirking, Ikuto motioned for his army to being to march out towards the forest he knew the Creatures of Light were hiding. "Didn't you know? She returned herself to me."

Matching her master's smirk, Lulu hardened her gaze as she looked off towards where the creatures were hiding. The battle would be easily won. The Dame was looking forward to it. "Then let's end it quickly."

Ikuto gave the nod to allow his second in command to start their attack. "Let's."

XXX

"Where's the Guardian?"

Tadase wasn't certain how to answer that question, however, he knew better than to lie. He also knew that the truth would be hard for these hard working creatures to hear. "The Guardian is fighting this the best way she knows how. She's taking the Angel on herself. We must do our part here. They're coming. They're coming and we will not run."

For all the times to be proud of his nephew, Tsukasa knew that now was the moment when he was the most so. Tadase tended to be a bit power hungry and ready for everyone to follow his orders. The elder of the two never thought much of it since it was needed. Now, however, the younger male, the Knight of Light, wasn't rallying the creatures for his own gain. No, the boy was doing what he was doing to protect them as best he could.

Falling into the cheer, Tsukasa spurred the others on. This fight would be quite the fight. One that he wasn't going to miss out on.

"I saw we stand up and face them head on! The sun might have gone down, but the Guardian is with us! We shall not fall!"

Cheers boomed from the forest as creatures of every kind moved towards the edge of the forest. The Creatures of the Dark would have their fight.

Rima's roars echoed above the trees.

XXX

Wiping her tears from her face, Amu glared at the walls of Ikuto's chambers. Everything was so wrong. What Ikuto was doing was horrible. The Angel was going to murder everyone. Their existence was to bring balance between the two sides, and yet, she was sitting in his room, following his orders because she didn't want him to be mad at her.

The ache in Amu's chest only intensified. She was turning her back on all those who looked to her for protection. She'd lived a long time without Ikuto. She could live without him for a bit longer.

Moving to her feet, Amu closed her eyes and pictured the Angel. This time, however, she didn't want to go to him. No, Amu was watching him. Watching to see if Ikuto had any sort of remorse, any sort of sign that told her that he wasn't as evil as he was making out to be. Amu saw none as she watched Ikuto smirk towards something she could not see. He looked bitter and power hungry.

Fear ripped through the Guardian as she turned her sight to see her creatures standing bravely in the night. They had no sun to give them strength. They had no Guardian to protect them. They would be slaughtered.

Hardening her heart, Amu closed down the link to that sight. It was something she didn't want to see. Something she would never allow. Golden eyes opening, showing the fire of the sun, Amu streaked out of the room as a beam of hot light. This fight would not take place without her. Ikuto be damned. Amu would not let her creatures fall to such an Angel.

Ikuto knew the moment the Guardian moved. His eyes took in the streak of light flying through the sky. With his jaw clenched, Ikuto turned to his Dame. "This changes nothing. Kill them all."

Landing, Amu stared straight ahead at the Creatures of the Dark as the slinked through the night. Many had become her friends during her time in Ikuto's underground castle. "Tonight, I will be your sun. Tonight, I will be your strength! We are about life and love! Do not kill if you don't have to!"

Listening to her creatures' roars, Amu caused her body to be enveloped in light. If she was to be their sun, then a sun she wanted to look like.

.

Morg: Ah, the fight.

Ikuto: Holy shit!

Amu: That's what I was thinking.

Morg: Here we go.

Ikuto: I know a better way to fight it out.

Amu: Pervert.

Morg: He didn't even say anything.

Ikuto: She was right though.

Amu: Always am.

Morg: Nope.


	15. Chapter 15

Morg: Heyo! This is for everyone that has a birthday!

Ikuto: Uh…

Amu: Oh! That's me!

Morg: I hope so…

Ikuto: …

Amu: Morg doesn't own anything. Let's get to the chapter.

**~Guardian of Light~**

The creatures of the dark shrank back against the bright light that lit up the sky. The creatures of the light sounded fierce cries as their guardian shone above them like the sun they loved. She gave them strength when they needed it most.

Ikuto clenched his fists as he sprouted his dark black wings and pushed up into the sky. If Amu wanted to fight with all her power then he would oblige her. There was no way that he was going to easily give up.

Tensing her muscles, Rima pushed into the air. This was going to be a battle for all to remember. Never before had the two sides clashed in a way like this.

Proud to see his guardian above him, Tadase turned to face their dark enemies once more. With Amu having returned to their side, there was no way that they could lose.

Gripping the whip on her hip, Lulu stared off towards the fake brightness. The Guardian would be their prisoner before the night was through. The creatures that loved the light would be dead before the sun rose to greet their corpses. The Dame of Darkness had her orders. She would see them carried out.

Amongst all the chaos on the ground, Nagihiko looked around himself. The dark elf couldn't help but notice that their two sides weren't so different. He didn't want to fight against Amu or Rima. He knew that neither girls were his enemies. However, orders were orders. To refuse the Angel of Darkness was to invite death. Nagihiko didn't want to die, but he also didn't want to kill.

Hooves stomped on the ground. Claws scratched at the earth as both sides pushed off to race towards one another. The distance between the two sides quickly diminished until they hit one another, bouncing back from the sheer force of impact before moving to claw, bite and kick at one another again.

Watching from her spot in the sky, Amu felt grief fill her heart. Beasts that she'd become friends with while in Ikuto's castle were fighting against creatures that had never done them any wrong. They fought one another to maim and kill. Where she could stop it, Amu prevented death.

Ikuto watched the fight below him as he hovered in the sky. Urging his creatures on, he sent down beams of dark light where he could. They forced light creatures back or incarnated them on the spot. Ikuto didn't care which. He only wanted to win.

Avoiding as much fighting as possible, Nagihiko ducked around where the Pegasus fought the Unicorn. Hooves flashed as wings were tested against a sharp horn. The two were relentless with their attacks. Nagihiko didn't want any part of it.

Rima hated the time she was kept in the underground castle. She hated it because she was trapped there and given a very small amount of light. Her time there, besides that, wasn't unpleasant. The dragon couldn't say that she hated everything about it. There was one thing that she really, sort of, actually enjoyed.

Nagihiko barely managed to miss being tackled by Yoru as the panther fought against a white tiger. Claws and teeth flashed as the two large cats tussled in the dirt.

Dodging a spell cast by a witch, Rima swerved in the air. Before the same witch had a chance to shoot another spell towards her, Rima saw that she was confronted by a wizard. The two focused their magic on one another instead of anyone else. Still, the dragon could not see the creature she was looking for.

Falling over as a cherub appeared out of nowhere, Nagihiko didn't dare move as Iru, the demon, just as quickly appeared and took the other girl away. Their fight was one of the most dangerous fought. There was no telling where either girl would appear.

There were plenty of fights that Rima could see. The fairy fighting against a werewolf. Centaur holding his ground against a vampire. The dragon wished it would all stop just so that she could find the one person she needed.

Looking up into the sky from his back, Nagihiko thought about joining in the fight between the griffin and the sphinx. The two were practically equal with how they fought. He'd be able to turn the favor towards his fellow dark creature. He thought about until he saw a blast of gold fly over his head. Nagihiko couldn't tear his eyes away from the dragon as she circled around.

Narrowly missing a satyr and a nymph, Rima landed just above Nagihiko. "I found you."

"Have you come to seek your revenge?"

Snorting through her large nose, Rima looked down at the dark elf below her. "On you? What revenge do I have to seek? I thought we were friends."

Safe under the dragon above him, Nagihiko couldn't help but smile. "Friends. You and me? A creature of the light and a creature of the dark? I like it."

XXX

The fighting happening before his eyes wasn't what Tsukasa wanted to see. The man hadn't given years of his life for all of his hard work equal out to the biggest massacre to ever happen. The fighting had to stop. Somehow, Tsukasa wanted to end it. Unfortunately, all he could do was stand back and watch it happen. Watch creatures tear at each other needlessly. The sight was horrible to behold.

XXX

Gripping his sword, Tadase locked eyes with his target. Creatures of the dark fell easily before him. The dark girl before him had a similar approach to the creatures he fought with. Tadase would let no more fall.

Lulu eyes the Knight of Light with little interest. He would fall to the ground before her like the others. Her whip would see to that.

Dodging, Tadase rolled to the side, only to come back to his feet and block the snap of the Dame of Darkness' whip with his sword. He would not fall victim to her so easily. "You fight well, for a girl."

Cracking her whip again, Lulu eyes the Knight once more. His battle garb wasn't horrible. "You do, too, for a boy."

Forcing the Dame to take a step backwards, Tadase frowned at the comment. "I'm no mere boy."

"Funny, you don't look like a man."

Gritting his teeth, Tadase pushed forwards again. This girl would know her place if he had to force her into it.

Giving back just as many hits as she took, Lulu acknowledged that while the battle wouldn't be easy, she wouldn't give up.

XXX

Ikuto wasn't certain what caught his eye. One moment he was shooting lightning into the battle and the next he was glaring at the sight of a large dragon standing protectively over a dark elf. Both should have been fighting one another, not fighting to protect each other.

Dropping to the ground, Ikuto approached the dragon he wished he'd killed when he had the chance. "Nagihiko, kill this beast."

Rima roared as she swerved to protect Nagi from the Angel of Darkness himself. "Don't come any nearer."

Smirking, Ikuto crossed his arms as he brought in his wings behind him. "You think you can tell me what to do?"

Snarling, Rima only calmed a little at the touch of Nagihiko's hand. The elf was her friend. She wouldn't let anyone, including Ikuto, harm him. "I won't let you harm him."

Laughing now, Ikuto continued to confront the odd pair. "Harm him? No, Nagihiko is loyal to me, which is why he shall kill you."

Leaving his hand on Rima's side, Nagihiko made certain that the dragon knew he meant her no harm. Ikuto could give all the commands that he wanted. That didn't mean that Nagihiko had to carry them out. "I'm not sorry, my lord. I shall not do it."

Frowning now, Ikuto tightened his arms. If Nagihiko was going to defy him then he was no longer one of them. "Then you shall die with her."

Roaring, Rima shot a stream of fire into the air. The dragon was careful that she wouldn't hit anyone around them. She didn't want to fight. "You can try!"

Seeing the fire, Amu turned to try and see what was happening. Rima was her best friend. Being in Ikuto's castle together had made them very close. Now that she knew that she was the Guardian, Amu couldn't pick favorites amongst the creatures. That didn't mean that Rima didn't hold a very special place in her heart. Seeing the dragon facing off against Ikuto while protecting Nagi made Amu's chest tighten. There was no way that she was going to allow for anything to happen to the pair.

Hands crackling with dark lightning as he held them out in front of himself, Ikuto glared at the dragon and elf. The pair dared to defy him and now they would pay.

Shooting through the sky, Amu stopped the lighting with a flick of her wrist. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Forgetting everything else happening around them, Ikuto looked across the small clearing at the girl that belonged to him. "You should have stayed in the castle, Amu. Now I have to take you back there by force."

Sighing, the pinkette refused to look away from such hate filled eyes. "You don't have to force me to be with you, Ikuto. You never have. Stop this. Stop the fighting. We can figure things out. You don't have to be like the other Angels. Don't make the same mistakes that they did."

"I am them! I always have been and always will be! It's time for you to accept your fate!"

Dark energy cackled around Ikuto. Amu felt in awe at the sight. In a way, Ikuto was right. He was all the Angels before him just as she was all the Guardians before her. Now that she knew the truth, Amu felt the weight of mistrust upon her shoulders. It was a heavy burden. One that made her angry. How could Ikuto betray her and fall to jealousy. The fool. "No, Ikuto. Accept yours."

Rima made certain that no harm would come to Nagihiko as the Angel of Darkness and Guardian of Light faced one another. Sparks of energy flew through the air around them. Both were beautiful amidst the fighting.

Lifting a fiery sword, Amu readied herself to charge for the Angel before her. The fighting needed to stop. She would make sure it ended before any more lives needed to end.

Countering Amu's stance with one of his own, Ikuto raised a blade bathed in dark fire. They were opposites, the Angel and the Guardian. Instead of clashing, they complimented each other, even if it couldn't be seen.

Amu wasn't certain who took the first step. All she knew was that she was running straight at Ikuto while the man came at her. The fight would end. They would finish it.

Creatures all around the field stopped to turn and watch as their leaders charged. Whoever won the fight would be their new leader. It would be decided.

Just as the two met in the middle, a streak of fire tore down from the sky to engulf Ikuto and Amu in flames. The Guardian of Light and Angel of Darkness disappeared with a flash from the field. The creatures of both light and dark stopped fighting.

Panting, Tadase and Lulu turned to find that Amu and Ikuto were gone.

.

Morg: Oh snap!

Ikuto: Where did we go?

Amu: I don't know.

Morg: You'll find out.

Ikuto: Yeah, but we'll have to wait a while since you take forever to update.

Amu: It isn't so bad. She's been doing all right lately.

Morg: Lately… I want to finish this story this summer so I won't be long before I update again!

Ikuto: Good.

Amu: I suppose that's fine.

Morg: Yeah!


	16. Chapter 16

Morg: Heyo! Hasn't been too long, right?

Ikuto: Sure. Let's go with that.

Amu: You could wait longer.

Morg: I thought this was a story that you liked.

Ikuto: She only likes one thing.

Amu: Not you.

Morg: Oh snap!

Ikuto: Whatever. Morg may not own us, but I sure as hell own Amu.

Amu: That's why we're having problems in this story. No you don't.

Morg: True that!

**~Guardian of Light~**

Suddenly, there was no battle. No fighting. No sounds of dying. No anguish. Confused, Amu looked around herself. She was supposed to be grappling with Ikuto. The winner would take complete control. He was there. Ikuto was only a few feet from her, but Amu couldn't move. By watching Ikuto look around and attempt to take a step, she realized that he couldn't move either.

Amu opened her mouth to speak. She wanted to call out to him and ask him what he did. Wherever they were, Amu hadn't brought them here. But nothing came out. Her voice would not sound.

_You will not speak until I wish for you to speak._

Realizing that the voice that she'd heard definitely wasn't Ikuto's, Amu picked her head up to find the owner. Her movements were mirrored by Ikuto. He was obviously just as confused as she was.

Beyond upset that he was being held prisoner, Ikuto struggled against the force keeping him in place. Whoever it was that thought they could best him was about to learn something unpleasant.

_You will not move until I wish for you to move._

Stilling because he couldn't break free, Ikuto glared at the ball of light he was certain the voice was coming from. The object swirled. The colors mixed and separated as it kept its form. There was nothing else in the room besides a phoenix perched on a stand.

_Su brought you here for me. She is a most trusted creature._

Amu couldn't figure out if the voice was feminine or masculine. The Guardian of Light supposed that either way it didn't matter. The swirling form of every color to ever exist clearly needed no gender.

_I can be a man or a woman. Whatever makes you more comfortable. I don't appear the same to everyone._

Closing his eyes, Ikuto forced himself to take a breath of air. Whoever this was, he wasn't going to be let go until they were finished. Once he was out of his binds, Ikuto would have his revenge.

Amu glanced at the Angel out of the corner of her eye. Ikuto didn't look at all pleased to be wherever it was that they were. Then again, she couldn't blame him for feeling a bit frightened. Sure, Ikuto looked angry, but Amu had spent enough time with the other to learn that that was how Ikuto dealt with his fear.

_So much anger. You've both brought your own. Ikuto, Angel of Darkness. You carry anger so strong. Though you do not know the source of the overwhelming feeling, you direct it at everyone you come into contact with._

_ Amu, Guardian of Light. You carry anger, as well. Though, you know where yours has come from. Knowing the source doesn't make the emotion any less dangerous._

Mostly because she couldn't speak, but also because she was in awe with what she was hearing, Amu dropped her head the bit that she could. Her body wasn't under her control, but shame filled her. Yes, she was angry. Angry at Tadase and Tsukasa from keeping her identity from her. Angry at Ikuto for repeating the same mistakes of the other Angels before him. Amu wasn't going to lie about the anger in her heart. The pinkette knew of its existence.

Ikuto, on the other hand, wasn't certain that he wanted to hear what the ball of light had to say to him. Anger was an emotion that everyone felt. Why should he feel ashamed for experiencing it?

_It isn't that you've felt the emotion, dear one. It is the fact that you used it as an excuse to harm others. If something makes you angry then you should attempt to solve the problem, not ignore it by taking your anger out on others to feel better about yourself._

As much as Ikuto didn't want to hear it, he couldn't not hear the words spoken directly into his mind. For the first time in his life, Ikuto felt ashamed of himself. It was an emotion that he did nothing to push away. In this moment, he couldn't.

_So much wrong has happened, my children. Tell me, what would you have me do? I created this world and the two of you to have balance. How shall I get that back? Once balance is lost, something must be sacrificed to return it._

Amu couldn't lift her face. Not because she wasn't allowed to move much, but because she couldn't look at their creator. The Guardian felt that she didn't have the right. She'd failed the one job she'd been given. Amu kept her eyes on the golden tiles that lined the floor she and Ikuto were standing on. Clearly, they were not worthy of even being in the Creator's presence.

_Why would you not be worthy, little one? I created you, didn't I? You are mine. I will love you always. No matter what choices you have made. Now, instead of fixating on what has happened, let's fix it. Ikuto, we'll begin with you. _

Ikuto flinched slightly at the words being spoken within his mind. He didn't particularly want to go first. Then again, he didn't have a choice.

_The Angel was the first to break the balance. In order to restore what has been lost, we must start at the beginning. The Angel that broke the bond became jealous of the Guardian working so closely with the Creatures of Light. The reaction is no one's fault. _

Some of the conflict that Ikuto had always felt in his soul began to settle. The Creator hadn't referred to the Angel before him as if that Angel were him. The moment was short as he realized that Amu had been right all along. His actions and his choices were always his own.

_The anger inside of you doesn't completely belong to you, Ikuto. I shall remove it._

As if the previous realization hadn't affected him enough, Ikuto felt as though everything inside of him was suddenly cleansed. All the hate he'd been carrying was gone. He felt right for the first time in his life. Unable to help himself, a few tears escaped Ikuto's eyes.

_Rest in peace for a few moments, my child._

Amu didn't bother to look at the Angel. Ikuto needed his moment of peace. That was clear. Instead, she kept her eyes focused on the ground before her.

_Your anger, Guardian, is directed at others because you feel hurt. You were lied to by those only trying to protect you. You feel betrayed by the Angel. This anger is rightly felt, though still unneeded now. Release it. Let it go. Be free of such hurt._

Sucking in a deep breath, Amu thought about everything that hurt her. Tadase and Tsukasa, Ikuto hurting others and starting a war. As she let go of those feelings, Amu realized that she wasn't just angry at others. She was angry at herself for not being able to do more. But as quickly as the emotion filled her mind, it disappeared. The Creator took it all.

_Ikuto, my beloved Angel of Darkness, what would you give to restore the balance? To be back at Amu's side?_

For only a second, Ikuto hesitated. Then, his voice bubbled up from his chest as if he couldn't control it. The sound of it was weird to his ears. "Everything."

_You understand that you would no longer be her equal in terms of power. You would be by her side, but not rule by her side. You would give up the power that you coveted so greatly?_

Turning so that he could look at Amu, Ikuto didn't wait for the Guardian to look back at him. Even if she decided that she no longer wanted him, Ikuto knew that he loved her. To be beside her, even if she never looked at him, would be enough. "Yes, to be by her side is what I want. It is all that I want. I'm willing to give up everything."

Amu's eyes widened at the revelation. She kept them facing towards the floor in order to not look over at Ikuto. There was nothing that she could say. Her voice would not work. The Creator didn't want her to respond. Not yet.

_Then it is done._

Ikuto waited for some sign that he was no longer the Angel of Darkness. He waited for some tingling feeling or pain or something to show that his powers were gone. Nothing changed.

_You will forever be by Amu's side. _

_ Guardian of Light, you have been wronged. For this reason, I will not ask you what you would give to right the balance. However, there are still Creatures of the Dark. They must have a ruler. Would you take the power of Ikuto to rule over all as Queen of Life?_

Closing her eyes, Amu thought back to all the creatures that she'd met. She'd made friends with both Creatures of Light and Creatures of the Dark. She'd come to love them all. The sight of them in her mind quickly changed back to the battle field that they'd just left. Even if she became a supreme ruler, most of the creatures were injured greatly. "No! I don't want that!

Ikuto was shocked by Amu's outburst. He had no idea what she was thinking. The Creator seemed to be flustered as well. The swirls of colors that made it up seemed to spin a bit faster.

"Please," Amu bowed her head lower as she clenched her fists. They couldn't die for their mistakes. "Don't let them die. I will give up everything to save them all. Don't let death befall those who have done nothing wrong."

Ikuto was struck speechless.

_My Guardian, you would give up total power in order to save those beneath you?_

Amu didn't bother to respond to the question. She'd already said that she would. Her mind would not be changed. She would not regret her decision. Not if it meant that Nagi and Rima could be safe, or that Dachi and Ran both had a chance to run free again.

_Then it is done. Any injuries resulted from the battle have been healed. No one shall die on this day. However, the Creatures cannot be without a ruler. If neither of you will take responsibility then another solution must be found._

For the first time, Amu looked up to Ikuto. "I might have one. If you agree?"

Feeling as though he really shouldn't be consulted due to his poor use of power before, Ikuto nodded to hear what Amu had to say. "With you? Always."

Smiling at the other, Amu turned back to the Creator. "Make them human. We never did have power over the humans. Those were always yours. Make us all human and let us live normal lives."

The Creator seemed to think about it for several minutes as Ikuto and Amu stood side by side as they waited. The suggestion wasn't a bad one. Amu knew that it could be a possible solution.

_Go then, return to earth and live as you have requested. Know that your power shall never return to you. Live humbly amongst those you once ruled._

Turning to say something to Ikuto once more, Amu could only smile as fire sprang up from the ground to surround them. This time, the pinkette wasn't worried. Su was only taking them back to earth. No harm would come to them. Of that, Amu was certain.

.

Morg: Holy cow! I've been working towards this chapter for so long. I can't even believe that we're here.

Ikuto: Great.

Amu: Is this the end?

Morg: There is an epilogue that I'm going to post sometime soon. I just want to thank everyone for sticking with me through this story. I've never had so much fun writing and planning. I can give everyone a list of all the creatures and what they are in the next chapter! Let me know if you want it!


	17. Chapter 17

Morg: Heyo!

Ikuto: I don't know if I want this to end.

Amu: Why is that?

Morg: I know how you feel.

Ikuto: Because it probably won't be the ending I want.

Amu: Whatever.

Morg: Well, I don't own you two. So you could always end it how you want…

Ikuto: ;3

Amu: NO!

**~Guardian of Light~**

Blinking slowly, Amu realized that she was no longer in the heavens with the Creator. She was lying on charred earth. Sitting up, the pinkette looked around her. Ikuto lay only a few inches from her side. There was no one else in sight. "Ikuto?"

Stirring at the sound of Amu's voice, Ikuto picked up his head to look around them. There was nothing to see. This was clearly where the battle had taken place but there was no one there. "What happened?"

"The Creator sent us back. I feel weak."

Chuckling, Ikuto sat up before pulling Amu closer to his side. "You feel human."

Humming, Amu rested against the other as she studied the area around them. "I don't understand. The Creator was going to make everyone human. Where did they go?"

Ikuto could only shrug as he looked around. The fact that everyone was missing didn't make sense to him either. "I don't know. We can't keep sitting here, though. We're human now. We have to get up and find some shelter and food."

Amu followed the dark haired man as he stood. Being human was scary, though she was rather okay with it since it meant that she could be with Ikuto. "But where do we go?"

The question was a good one. One that Ikuto didn't have an answer for. Luckily, he didn't need one.

"Amu?"

Turning her head, Amu noticed a short blonde girl standing just below some trees at the edge of the battle field. "Yes? Who are you?"

The girl took half a step forward before a boy with long dark hair caught her arm. He seemed to materialize out of the darkness to stand beside her. "Is that really you?"

Confused, Amu exchanged looks with Ikuto before turning to the two humans beneath the trees. "It is. Who are you?"

The blonde pulled her arm out of the boy's grip before rushing forward. She threw her arms around Amu's neck as she pulled the taller girl into a hug. "It's me! I'm Rima! You're back! You're back!"

Amu let the words sink in for a moment before she smiled and hugged Rima back. "Rima! You're as pretty as a human!"

Blushing as she pulled back from the girl she'd been hugging, Rima didn't flinch as an arm circled around her waist to pull her back against a hard chest.

Chuckling, the male holding Rima close to him nodded. "I keep telling her that, too."

Ikuto didn't need to think about it to realize who the male was. "Nagihiko. What are you two doing here?"

Nodding towards his old master, Nagi hugged the girl before him tighter. "It was rather confusing when we started waking up. Some of us had a hard time moving as humans. The ones that had it the worst were the creatures that used to move about on four legs. Switching to two took some getting used to."

Rima scoffed at that. "Try going from being the biggest out of everyone to being the shortest."

Amu couldn't help but giggle at that.

Nodding, Ikuto slipped his hand into Amu's as he kept his eyes on couple before him. "Where are the others now?"

Biting her lip, Rima dipped her head before bringing it back up to meet Amu's eyes. "When you disappeared in the middle of the battle, time froze. We don't know for how long, but we did all start waking up as human. We've been living this way for months now. You've been gone for almost a year."

Letting that information sink in, Amu turned to look at Ikuto in surprise. Their time with the Creator hadn't felt like it'd taken that much time. Things must work differently there. "Has everyone been all right? No one has gotten hurt, right?"

Leave it to Amu to still be concerned about everyone even if she wasn't the Guardian anymore. Ikuto moved so that he could wrap his arm around her shoulders to pull the girl close enough that he could place a kiss against her temple. "I'm sure that everyone has been fine."

Nodding, Nagi couldn't help his smile as he gestured back to the trees that they'd come out of. "Actually, we're doing better than fine. Some have left to go live elsewhere in the world. There's nothing really tying us to this place any longer. Some of us have stayed and built houses. You can come back with us if you'd like."

Amu didn't have to think long about the offer. They needed somewhere to go. Nagihiko was offering them that. "That would be wonderful. We won't impose forever, but we've only just returned."

Rima looked as though she was about to ask a question. Ikuto cut her off before she could. "We're human, too. It was part of the deal that we made with the Creator. That's where we were. No more powers for anyone. We're all equal now."

Bowing her head, Rima nodded once before turning back the way she'd come. "Then let's go get you settled. We'll figure out where to go from there."

Ikuto only had to exchange a smile with Amu before they followed. Living as humans was definitely going to be interesting.

**~The End~**

.

Morg: There you go.

Ikuto: That's it?

Amu: Well… Okay.

Morg: Yes, that's it. That's the ending I've been planning since the beginning.

Ikuto: I suppose it is your plot.

Amu: It's actually sweet.

Morg: They get to live happily ever after together. Of course it's sweet.

Ikuto: Then good job, I guess.

Amu: Get over the fact that there wasn't smut.

Morg: Not every story needs sex to be good.

Ikuto: Whatever.

**~Creatures List~**

Amu: Guardian of Light

Ikuto: Angel of Darkness 

Nagihiko: Dark Elf

Rima: Dragon 

Yaya: Fairy

Kairi: Werewolf 

Kukai: Centaur

Utau: Vampire 

Ran: Unicorn

Daichi: Pegasus 

Miki: White Tiger

Yoru: Panther 

Dia: Sphinx

Musashi: Griffin 

Eru: Cherub

Iru: Demon 

Rhythm: Wizard

Kusu: Witch 

Kiseki: Satyr

Pepe: Nymph 

Tadase Knight of Light

Lulu: Dame of Darkness 

Tsukasa: Human 

Su: Phoenix

**The Creatures are paired in the couples that I ship them. I picked their type based on each other. I hope this helps keep everyone straight!**


End file.
